Mental Health, Physical Activity Participation and Physical Activity Recommendation Habits of Medical Students
Creators: name: McFadden, Taylor
Publisher: name: Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa
Year: 2021
Subjects: mental health
physical activity
medical students
peer support
health promotion
physical activity prescription

description: The purpose of this doctoral dissertation was to investigate the relationships between mental health and physical activity participation of medical students, as well as their confidence, motivation and frequency in recommending physical activity in future medical practice. Moreover, this thesis involved the implementation and evaluation of a peer support walking intervention aimed at improving the mental health and physical activity participation of medical students. Two separate studies were conducted, including a cross-sectional correlational survey administered to medical students in all four years at three Canadian Universities (Study One; Articles One, Two and Three) and a single-subject study testing the impact of a two-month peer support walking intervention delivered to first and second year medical students at two Canadian universities (Study Two; Articles Four and Five). Article One examined relationships between physical activity, including mild and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), and mental health profiles in a sample of Canadian medical students using latent profile analysis. Three distinct mental health profiles emerged (low, moderate and high ratings of mental health) and individuals in the high mental health profile reported engaging in more mild physical activity than MVPA. Article Two investigated the underlying mechanism(s) contributing to frequency in recommending physical activity, to provide insight into how we can increase physical activity recommendations in future practice as physicians. Findings showed positive relationships between medical students’ physical activity levels and their frequency recommending physical activity to patients. Results also revealed that medical students are significantly more motivated than they are confident to recommend physical activity to patients and only 52% of student participants were aware of and accurately able to recall the Canadian physical activity guidelines. Article Three examined demographic differences in medical students’ motivation and confidence to recommend physical activity to future patients. Results revealed differences according to gender, year of study and academic background. For instance, second year students were more motivated to assess a patients’ level of physical activity compared to third and fourth year students. Article Four evaluated the impact of a two-month peer support walking intervention aimed at improving the mental health and physical activity participation of first and second year medical students using the RE-AIM framework. Findings showed that the peer support walking intervention was delivered as intended and may be an important proactive strategy for maintaining mental health and physical activity levels of medical students during stressful situations, including the COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, Article Five offered evidence-based strategies for conducting mental health research in medical professionals to optimize recruitment, engagement and retention. Ten strategies were provided to help inform the planning of future research aiming to support the mental health of medical professionals, including students. Taken altogether, findings from this dissertation show that peer support and incorporating mild physical activity may be an effective strategy to offer within medical student wellness programs. Additionally, results highlight the need to expand the medical curriculum to include physical activity education in order to prepare students to recommend physical activity to patients in future medical practice as an important preventive and therapeutic strategy for several chronic illnesses.