LIFESTYLE IN MEDICAL STUDENTS IN A UNIVERSITY OF SANTA CRUZ- BOLIVIA

https://doi.org/10.56274/rcs.2023.2.1.15

Abstract

Introduction: Leading an unhealthy lifestyle is related to an increase in non-communicable chronic diseases, decreasing the quality of life. The university stage is vulnerable, students present alterations in their lives (changes of residence, they learn to live alone and solve problems, they meet new people, they manage study and leisure time). Objective: Describe the lifestyle of medical students in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. Methodology: Field study, quantitative, retrospective, observational, cross-sectional, immersed in the principles of the positivist paradigm. 200 students enrolled in the 2022 administration participated, collecting the information in October-November 2022. The variables studied were "Lifestyles" (physical activity, leisure time, diet, alcohol, cigarette and illicit drug consumption). A Likert questionnaire (27 items) was applied, validated by experts, who reviewed the wording, consistency, and relevance of the content of the instrument. The reliability yielded a Cronbach's alpha of 0.728. For statistical analysis, the SPSS 22.0 program was used. Results: The female sex (63%), age 17-24 years (91%), weight 45-60 kg (38%), 77% only study and do not work, and 54% are in the second year of Medicine. The students do not present healthy practices for physical activity and eating, prevailing the consumption of street and unbalanced food. Conclusions: The students do not have a healthy lifestyle, with a predominance of a sedentary lifestyle and an inadequate diet.