PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND EATING BEHAVIOR OF MEDICAL STUDENTS IN THE REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA

Abstract

Introduction. Sedentary activity is a major modifiable risk factor for chronic disease, and it is recommended that all healthy people engage in moderate physical activity for at least 30 minutes per day, 5 days per week. Nutrition is a fundamental pillar of human life, health and development throughout the lifespan. One of the barriers to adopting healthy eating and participating in behavior change interventions for medical students is lack of time.

Material and methods. The CORT-2004 questionnaire includes 126 items that investigate risky behaviors in young people. In the current research, only 61 of the questionnaire items were analyzed, namely: eating behavior. The selective study was carried out on a sample of 175 students from Nicolae Testemitanu SUMPh, fourth year of studies, of them 113 (64.6%) girls and 62 (35.4%) The respondents were part of the age group – the young adult, aged between 19 and 29 years, with an average age of 23.2±1.6, median = 23 years.

Results. Most students do not do physical activities (80.0%). Among the students who practice physical activities, about a third (7.4%) engage in physical activities 3 times a week, followed by those who did them twice a week (6.8%) and once a week (5.8%). The diet of the students is incorrect, the respondents already serve rarely. Only 42.3% consumed fresh fruit daily, they consumed little dairy products. Consumption of meat, eggs with a frequency of 1-3 times/week and more respondents prefer red meat (pork, beef, sheep) than white (chicken, fish). The majority of respondents (71.4%) consumed pasta, rice, cereals 1-3 times/week. With reference to unhealthy food, 42.9% only consumed chips, carbonated drinks 1-3 times/week, 12.0% consumed coffee two or more times a day.

Conclusions. Both the physical activities and the eating behavior practiced by the students indicate knowledge and practices appropriate to the status of a future doctor, with attempts to respect a healthy way of life and with tendencies to correct behaviors. The results of the study point to the need to increase the level of knowledge and good practices in promoting a healthy lifestyle.