ABSTRACT
Health professional entry-to-practice programmes are intense, competitive and prolonged. The aims of this study were to benchmark the health of health sciences students at Kuwait University, thereby informing student health services, and to establish a base for individual student's health assessments throughout the programmes. We used a convenience sample of 176 students. Assessment included a health/wellness questionnaire (smoking, nutrition, physical activity, sleep and stress) and objective measures (resting heart rate, blood pressure, waist-to-hip ratio and random blood glucose). Students had suboptimal activity, diet, stress and sleep. Health was suboptimal based on significant proportions of students in unhealthy categories for resting heart rate, blood pressure and body composition. Health status of health sciences students at Kuwait University is not consistent with healthy health professionals in training, who should serve as role models for the public. A culture of health on campus is recommended to maximize the health of students and their capacity as health role models.
Subject(s)
Benchmarking , Culture , Health Behavior , Health Status , Students , Universities , Cross-Sectional Studies , Female , Health Surveys , Humans , Kuwait , MaleABSTRACT
Health professional entry-to-practice programmes are intense, competitive and prolonged. The aims of this study were to benchmark the health of health sciences students at Kuwait University, thereby informing student health services, and to establish a base for individual student's health assessments throughout the programmes. We used a convenience sample of 176 students. Assessment included a health/wellness questionnaire [smoking, nutrition, physical activity, sleep and stress] and objective measures [resting heart rate, blood pressure, waist-to-hip ratio and random blood glucose]. Students had suboptimal activity, diet, stress and sleep. Health was suboptimal based on significant proportions of students in unhealthy categories for resting heart rate, blood pressure and body composition. Health status of health sciences students at Kuwait University is not consistent with healthy health professionals in training, who should serve as role models for the public. A culture of health on campus is recommended to maximize the health of students and their capacity as health role models
Les programmes de formation des professionnels de la santé sont intenses, compétitifs et longs. La présente étude visait à mesurer la santé des étudiants dans les facultés du Centre de Sciences médicales de l'Université du Koweit, permettant ainsi d'orienter les services de santé étudiante et d'établir des données de référence pour l'évaluation de la santé des étudiants dans l'ensemble des programmes. Nous avons recouru à un échantillon de commodité de 176 étudiants. L'évaluation incluait un questionnaire sur la santé/le bien-être [tabagisme, nutrition, activité physique, sommeil et stress] et des mesures objectives [rythme cardiaque au repos, tension artérielle, rapport taille-hanche, et glycémie aléatoire]. Les résultats ont montré que les étudiants avaient des niveaux d'activité, des régimes alimentaires, un niveau de stress et un sommeil suboptimaux. L'état de santé n'était pas optimal pour une proportion importante des étudiants ayant des mauvais résultats pour la composition corporelle, la fréquence cardiaque et la pression artérielle. L'état de santé des étudiants en sciences médicales de l'Université du Koweit ne correspond pas à ce que l'on attend de professionnels de la santé en formation, qui devraient servir de modèle pour le grand public. Une " culture de la santé " sur le campus est recommandée pour améliorer la santé des étudiants et leur capacité à servir de modèle pour les modes de vie sain
Subject(s)
Benchmarking , Students, Medical , Health Status , Delivery of Health Care , Education, Public Health Professional , Cross-Sectional Studies , Surveys and Questionnaires , Quality of LifeABSTRACT
STUDY DESIGN: A correlative design using stepwise regression analysis. OBJECTIVE: To explore the variation in spinal isometric strength that can be accounted for by anticipation of pain, sensory perception of pain, functional disability belief, and the fear-avoidance belief in chronic low back pain patients. SUMMARY OF THE BACKGROUND DATA: Several biobehavioral factors contribute to the persistence of pain behavior in chronic patients. Recent studies suggest a need to explore the relation between reduced physical performance and the sensory and cognitive perception of pain. METHODS: Sixty-three patients with chronic low back pain 20 to 56 years of age participated in this study. Visual Analogs Scales, the Fear-Avoidance Belief questionnaire, and the Disability Belief questionnaire were used to measure the sensory and cognitive dimensions of pain. Spinal isometric strength was measured by the Medx lumbar extension machine. RESULTS: Analysis of variance and the stepwise regression analysis demonstrated that anticipation of pain and the fear-avoidance belief about physical activity significantly predicted variation in the spinal isometric strength deficit P < 0. 001. True pain experienced during the testing and answers to the Disability Belief questionnaire were not related. CONCLUSION: The results of this study strongly support the hypothesis that spinal physical capacity in chronicity is not explained solely by the sensory perception of pain. The anticipation of pain and the fear-avoidance belief about physical activities were the strongest predictors of the variation in physical performance.
