ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Lifestyle is an important risk factor for many diseases. We need to educate medical students for advocating health promoting behaviors to their patients. Teaching knowledge, however, was not enough for medical students to change their health-related lifestyle. In this study, we investigated health promoting behaviors of medical students, and the improvement of their health behaviors after competitive lifestyle modification program. METHODS: All sophomores of medical college in Seoul National University were included in this study. We performed lifestyle modification program consisting of lecture, group competition, and feedback. We focused on reforming health behaviors like smoking, drinking, exercise, stress management and eating habits. And we also checked common symptoms of functional diseases, medication frequency for relieving these symptoms and general life satisfaction. RESULTS: After 2 months of lifestyle modification program, the obese (P = 0.0455) and the average value of BMI (P < 0.001) were decreased and two of smokers quitted smoking. Numbers of medical students with health related habits such as regular exerciser (P = 0.027), frequent user of symptom-relief medication (P < 0.001), breakfast skipper (P = 0.005) were signifi cantly changed in positive way, and the average value of general life satisfaction score (P = 0.003) was improved. CONCLUSION: Lifestyle modification program improved medical students' health habits and enhanced general life satisfaction.