Background
Many studies have shown that medicine is generally taught in sub-optimal conditions that may have an effect on the health of the students themselves. The aim of this study is therefore to evaluate the global lifestyle of medical students at the Université catholique de Louvain (UCL), and to see whether or not the lifestyles of student cohorts at the beginning and end of their studies are different.
Methods
A cross-sectional study was carried out using the FANTASTIC Lifestyle Assessment Inventory, or “FANTASTIC”. It was given out to UCL medical students between the 2nd and 6th years as an online self-administered questionnaire. It was available during 15 days in October 2015. Responses were automatically compiled and studied via Excel and SPSS programs.
Results
The mean FANTASTIC score obtained was 68.78 (out of 100 points), which is considered as a « good » lifestyle (57.9% participation rate (N=1231)). There was no significant difference between men and women according to the global lifestyle score, yet many differences were encountered when examining individual lifestyle domains. The lifestyle score improves for student cohorts between the beginning and end of their studies, starting at 67.06±8,83/100 for 2nd year students and rising to 69.74±8,63/100 for 6th year students (p=0,004, Effect size = 0,013). Demographic factors have an impact on the scores observed: a student’s body mass index (BMI), their country of origin and the absence of chronic illness needing daily medication were three factors which significantly affected the results. One’s personal estimation of one’s lifestyle corresponds well with the objective evaluation obtained by the FANTASTIC.
Conclusion
According to this study, it appears that theoretically, the lifestyle of medical students is significantly better at the end of their studies than it is at the beginning. However, in reality the observed difference is very small, and may have only limited meaning. That being said, many differences between lifestyle domains were encountered, and the observed link in literature between stress and student’s lifestyle was indeed found. The resulting question stays: why the reduced stress levels in UCL students, when other studies show an increase in stress as the years of study go by? A possible explanation to this question could be the transition between a 7 year program to a 6 year one, between the studied medical cohorts. Many other reasons could account for this paradox, and further studies should be carried out to explain these unexpected findings.