Mohamed Sami, Muhammad Surajo Abdulqadir, Mohamed Abdikarim Abdi, Esam Eldeen Ahmad Al-Mujtaba, Alhaj Ahmad Mahmud, Bulama Ahmad Abdullahi
Department of Clinical Sciences, Dubai Medical University, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Community Medicine Department, Nile University, Khartoum, Sudan.
Ann Med Surg (Lond). 2025 Jan 9;87(1):76-84. doi: 10.1097/MS9.0000000000002808. eCollection 2025 Jan.
The role of physical activity (PA) in health promotion is further complimented by its disease preventive value. Future doctors' involvement and advocacy in diverse aspects of such significant role is still under evaluation.
This study aimed to assess medical students' overall PA engagement and their perspective, and to identify whether their level of engagement affects their advocacy and promotion, while discussing related educational innovations and technological advances.
Through a cross-sectional observational study design, stratified sampling from third-, fourth-, and fifth-year medical students attending Nile University, Sudan, during the period from February to April 2020, were included. Descriptive data analysis was done using the SPSS software, and presented including, frequencies, cross-tabulation, Chi-square testing with 95% confidence level, and a value, after data collection via a structured questionnaire adopting parts of the IPAQ. Study has been reported in line with the STROCSS criteria.
Out of 188 students, 43% males and 57% females, less than half (91, 48.40%) participated in planned PA, and majority (156, 82.98%) agreed with its health-related significance. Few (57, 30.32%) considered academic load as a barrier, and only 20 (10.60%) were not actively promoting PA engagement to others. Most PA participants were males (57.14%), leaning toward group-based activity (54, 59.34%), making regular plans (51, 56.04%) and motivated by self-health promotion (86, 94.51%) ( < 0.05). Despite majority of students (82.98%) agreement on PA's benefits, nearly half (51.60%) do not engage, Similarly, overall advocacy for PA promotion in relation to specific people was not statistically significant ( = 0.21). Embedding PA into undergraduate curriculum, use of PA report cards, exercise prescription training and targeted mentoring, in addition to digital bracelets, smart phone applications and internet-based social media, had positive impact on PA participation and promotion.
Medical students' understanding of PA health related significance did not equate to increase engagement, despite active promotion. Curricular integration of PA should accompany recent innovative educational strategies to increase their participation and advocation. Future studies are needed to evaluate the role of technology-based and AI-driven PA in achieving this goal.
体育活动（PA）在促进健康方面的作用因其疾病预防价值而得到进一步强化。未来医生在这一重要作用的各个方面的参与和倡导仍在评估之中。
本研究旨在评估医学生的总体体育活动参与情况及其观点，并确定他们的参与程度是否会影响其倡导和推广，同时讨论相关的教育创新和技术进步。
通过横断面观察性研究设计，纳入了2020年2月至4月期间就读于苏丹尼罗河大学的三年级、四年级和五年级医学生，采用分层抽样。使用SPSS软件进行描述性数据分析，并在通过采用国际体力活动问卷（IPAQ）部分内容的结构化问卷收集数据后，呈现频率、交叉制表、95%置信水平的卡方检验以及p值。本研究已按照STROCSS标准进行报告。
在188名学生中，男性占43%，女性占57%，不到一半（91人，48.40%）参与了有计划的体育活动，大多数（156人，82.98%）认同其与健康相关的重要性。少数人（57人，30.32%）认为学业负担是一个障碍，只有20人（10.60%）没有积极向他人推广体育活动参与。大多数参与体育活动的是男性（57.14%），倾向于团体活动（54人，59.34%），制定定期计划（51人，56.04%），并受到自我健康促进的激励（86人，94.51%）（p<0.05）。尽管大多数学生（82.98%）认同体育活动的益处，但近一半（51.60%）并未参与。同样，针对特定人群推广体育活动的总体倡导在统计学上并不显著（p=0.21）。将体育活动纳入本科课程、使用体育活动报告卡、运动处方培训和有针对性的指导，以及数字手环、智能手机应用程序和基于互联网的社交媒体，对体育活动的参与和推广产生了积极影响。
尽管积极推广，但医学生对体育活动与健康相关重要性的理解并不等同于参与度的提高。体育活动的课程整合应与近期的创新教育策略相结合，以增加他们的参与和倡导。未来需要进行研究，以评估基于技术和人工智能驱动的体育活动在实现这一目标中的作用。
