%0 Journal Article
%T Academic Exposure to Benefits of Physical Fitness Does Not Give Medical Students an Edge over Students from Non-Health-Related Disciplines
%A Karani Magutah
%A Risa Takahashi
%A Calistus Wilunda
%J Journal of Applied Medical Sciences
%D 2012
%I Scienpress Ltd
%X Undergraduate study imposes rigorous study regimes, which may compromise engagement in physical activities among students. This study compares physical fitness parameters between students from medical and non-health-related programs. The VO2max, heart rate (HR), and blood pressure (BP) were assessed in 80 men aged 18¨C25 years who performed the shuttle run test (SRT). HR and BP were measured before and after the SRT; HR was also measured during the test. A t-test was performed to compare the mean VO2max and baseline and recovery period measurements between groups and by the year of study (first or fourth). Fourth-year medical students had a higher baseline HR than those from other disciplines (p = 0.02). First-year medical students had a higher VO2max than their fourth-year counterparts (p = 0.02). Medical students had a higher HR after the sixth (p = 0.02) and seventh (p = 0.03) minutes of the SRT. Further, the medical students had a higher diastolic BP in the first (p = 0.03) and second (p = 0.02) minutes after exhaustion. Medical students have poorer fitness levels than students from non-health-related disciplines. This is possibly because the intense academic rigor prevents them from engaging in regular exercise.
%K Physical activity
%K Exercise
%K Shuttle run test
%K Medical students
%U http://www.scienpress.com/Upload/JAMS/Vol%201_2_5.pdf