scholarly journals Gender disparities among medical students choosing to pursue careers in medical research: a secondary cross-sectional cohort analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Austin Snyder ◽  
David Xiang ◽  
Alison Smith ◽  
Shannon Esswein ◽  
Omar Toubat ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
Medical Research ◽  
Cohort Analysis ◽  
Gender Disparities ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Career Selection ◽  
First Choice ◽  
Research Careers ◽  
Selection Factors ◽  
The University

Abstract Background Though the proportion of women in medical schools has increased, gender disparities among those who pursue research careers still exists. In this study, we seek to better understand the main factors contributing to the existing gender disparities among medical students choosing to pursue careers in medical research. Methods A secondary cross-sectional cohort analysis of previously published data was conducted using a 70-item survey that was sent to 16,418 medical students at 32 academic medical centers, and was IRB exempt from the need for ethical approval at the University of Illinois at Chicago and the University of Pennsylvania. Data was collected from September 2012 to December 2014. Survey results were analyzed using chi-square tests and Cramer’s V to determine gender differences in demographic characteristics (training stage, race/ethnicity, marital status, parental status, financial support, and parental career background), career sector choice, career content choice, specialty choice, foreseeable career obstacles, and perceptions about medical research careers. Results Female respondents were more likely to be enrolled in MD-only programs, while male respondents were more likely to be enrolled in MD/PhD programs. More male students selected academia as their first-choice career sector, while more female respondents selected hospitalist as their first-choice career sector. More female respondents identified patient care and opportunities for community service as their top career selection factors, while more male respondents identified research and teaching as their top career selection factors. Student loan burden, future compensation, and work/life balance were the most reported obstacles to pursuing a career in medical research. Conclusions There are many factors from a medical student’s perspective that may contribute to the existing gender disparities in pursuing a career in medical research. While much progress has been made in attracting nearly equal numbers of men and women to the field of medicine, active efforts to bridge the gap between men and women in medical research careers are needed.

scholarly journals Gender disparities among medical students choosing to pursue careers in medical research: A cross-sectional cohort analysis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Austin Snyder ◽  
David Xiang ◽  
Alison Smith ◽  
Shannon Esswein ◽  
Omar Toubat ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
Medical Research ◽  
Cohort Analysis ◽  
Gender Disparities ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Career Selection ◽  
First Choice ◽  
Research Careers ◽  
Selection Factors ◽  
The University

Abstract Background: Though the proportion of women in medical schools has increased, gender disparities among those who pursue research careers still exists. In this study, we seek to better understand the main factors contributing to the existing gender disparities among medical students choosing to pursue careers in medical research.Methods: A cross-sectional cohort analysis was conducted using a 70-item survey that was sent to 16,418 medical students at 32 academic medical centers and was IRB approved at the University of Illinois at Chicago and the University of Pennsylvania. Data was collected from September 2012 to December 2014. Survey results were analyzed using chi-square tests to determine gender differences in demographic characteristics (training stage, race/ethnicity, marital status, parental status, financial support, and parental career background), career sector choice, career content choice, specialty choice, foreseeable career obstacles, and perceptions about medical research careers. Results: There were 4433 respondents (27% response rate). Female respondents were more likely to be enrolled in MD-only programs, while male respondents were more likely to be enrolled in MD/PhD programs. More male trainees selected academia as their first-choice career sector, while more female respondents selected hospitalist as their first-choice career sector. More female respondents identified patient care and opportunities for community service as their top career selection factors, while more male respondents identified research and teaching as their top career selection factors. Conclusions: There are many factors from a medical student’s perspective that contribute to the existing gender disparities in pursuing a career in medical research, including student loan burden, future compensation, work/life balance, and family/caretaker obligations. While much progress has been made in attracting nearly equal numbers of men and women to the field of medicine, active efforts to bridge the gap between men and women in medical research careers are needed.

A cross sectional study: The association between sleeping quality and stress among second and third medical students at the University of Jordan

2021 ◽  
pp. 009121742110112
Author(s):  
AA Toubasi ◽  
BR Khraisat ◽  
RB AbuAnzeh ◽  
HM Kalbouneh
Keyword(s):  
Logistic Regression ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Regular Exercise ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
The Mean ◽  
University Of Jordan ◽  
The University

Objective Medicine is considered one if not the most stressful educational field. Thus, the aim of this study is to investigate the prevalence of stress and poor sleeping quality among medical students and the association between them. Method This cross-sectional study was conducted at the University of Jordan on second- and third-year medical students. The questionnaire consisted of: 1) Demographics; 2) The assessment tools which were Pittsburgh Quality of Sleep Index (PSQI) and Kessler Psychological Distress Status (K10). Binary logistic regression, chi-square and linear regression were used to investigate the association between PSQI, K10, and their determinants. Results The mean for PSQI score was 6.76 ± 3.32. PSQI scores interpretation revealed that 61.7% of the 282 participants of this study were poor sleepers. Logistic regression results showed that only the category of not napping at all from the napping hours variable was significantly associated with sleeping quality. Furthermore, the mean of K10 scores was 24.5 ± 8.5. K10 scores revealed that 66.3% of the participants were stressed. Logistic regression results showed that gender and regular exercise were significantly associated with psychological distress. Additionally, chi-square test, logistic regression and linear regression showed that PSQI was significantly associated with K10 (P <0.01). Conclusions Stress and poor sleeping quality in medical students at the University of Jordan were highly prevalent and strongly associated. What determined PSQI was daytime napping, and for K10 were regular exercise and gender. Further investigations into stress and sleep quality in the Arabian region are needed.

scholarly journals Knowledge, attitudes and behaviours towards vaccination: a survey of university students in Europe

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
A Callegaro ◽  
L Chinenye Ilogu ◽  
O Lugovska ◽  
S Mazzilli ◽  
A Prugnola ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Educational Interventions ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
High Level ◽  
Coverage Rates ◽  
The University ◽  
Vaccination Knowledge

Abstract Background Immunisation programs are still facing substantial challenges in achieving target coverage rates. This has been attributed to the growing negative individual vaccination attitudes and behaviours. Most of the current studies assessing vaccination knowledge, attitude and beliefs targets adults. However, young people represent future parents and health care professionals. The objective of this study was to investigate vaccination knowledge attitudes and behaviours among university medical and non-medical students in Europe. Methods We performed a cross-sectional online survey between April and July 2018. The study participants were students attending different faculties at the University of Antwerp, Belgium and the University of Pisa, Italy. We described sample characteristics. The effect of risk factors was tested with univariate and multivariate logistic regressions. Results A total of 2079 participants completed the survey including 873 medical students and 1206 from other faculties. The average of vaccination knowledge, attitudes, and confidence was respectively 5.51 (SD: 1.41), 4.66 (SD: 0.14) and 5.28 (SD: 0.57) on the 6-points scale. Our respondents demonstrated a high level of awareness with respect to their vaccination history. In total, 67.7% (n = 1407) reported to have received at least one vaccine in the previous five years; only 6.0% (n = 35) did not receive any vaccine in the previous 10 years. According to logistic regression analysis Italian students had significantly higher knowledge, attitude and confidence scores than Belgium respondents. Students of medicine scored significantly higher compared to non-medical students. Conclusions In order to reduce the gaps in vaccinations knowledge between non-medical and medical students we should plan educational interventions. In this way the number of future sceptical parents could be decreased. Further studies are required to explain the differences between countries. Key messages Young adults are the parents and the health care professionals of the future, for this reason their vaccination knowledge attitudes and behaviours should be carefully monitored. European non-medical students have lower vaccinations knowledge, attitudes and confidence compared with medical student. In order to fill these gaps, we should plan educational interventions.

scholarly journals Factors Associated with Physical Activity among Medical Students of Jazan University: A Cross-Sectional Study

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 266 ◽  
Author(s):  
Husam Eldin Elsawi Khalafalla ◽  
Mohamed Salih Mahfouz ◽  
Muath Hassan Ibrahim Najmi ◽  
Sayyaf Abdullah Mohammad Najmi ◽  
Qasem Ali Yahya Arishi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
P Value ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
High Prevalence ◽  
The University ◽  
Study Participants

BACKGROUND: Physical activity is one of the most important factors that affect human health; it reduces the chances of hypertension, coronary heart disease, stroke, diabetes, breast and colon cancer, and depression.OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study were to measure prevalence of physical activity and to determine the factors affecting the level of physical activity among medical student in Jazan University.METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among the students of medical colleges of Jazan University. A random sample of 419 was determined using most recent physical activity prevalence. A validated self-administered questionnaire was used for data collection.RESULTS: There is a high prevalence of inactivity among study participants (88.1%). Females (91.7%) were more significantly (p value=0.013) inactive than males (83.8%). The most influential barrier perceived by participants is (heavy) academic work as well as lack of places for physical activity; the latter factor being more effective in hindering female students' physical activity.CONCLUSION: Results revealed that the inactivity rate was very high among medical students. The results of this study call for a well-planned intervention at the university level for improving the level of physical activity among university students.

Effect of COVID-19 Lockdown on the Physical Activity and Lifestyle of Medical Students of University of Lahore

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (9) ◽  
pp. 2175-2177
Author(s):  
Khadija Ghafoor Quraishi ◽  
Mian Ali Raza ◽  
Sadaf Waris ◽  
Fahad Tanveer ◽  
Ashfaq Ahmad
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Activity Level ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Low Level ◽  
High Level ◽  
The University

Background: COVID-19 pandemic has become a foremost health concern, many countries have ordered lockdown to stop the spread of COVID-19 due to which many Universities are closed and students are taking lectures online, Pakistan is also one of the countries in which lockdown was imposed, the aim of this study is to examine the level of physical activity and lifestyle of medical students from University of Lahore (UoL) during COVID-19. Aim: To determine the effect of COVID-19 lockdown on the physical activity and lifestyle of medical students of University of Lahore. Materials: Sample size included 151 medical students from the University of Lahore, study was pure cross-sectional and convenient sampling technique was used, data was collected through online questionnaire which contained question from IPAQ-SF to estimate the physical activity and lifestyle of observed University students. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 25. Results: The results showed that from the population of 151 medical students of University of Lahore 75 students (49.7%) reported Low level of physical activity, while 44 students (29.1%) students reported Moderate level of physical activity, and 32 students (21.2%) reported high level of physical activity. Conclusion: Majority of the medical students showed Low level of physical activity, 49.7% in the last 7 days during COVID-19 pandemic. Medical students of University of Lahore showed a decrease in their overall physical activity level. Keywords: COVID-19, lockdown, Medical students, Physical activity

scholarly journals Non-medical use of methylphenidate among medical students of the University of the Free State

2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roshini Jain ◽  
Ch Chiech Chang ◽  
Mpho Koto ◽  
Alden Geldenhuys ◽  
Richard Nichol ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
Medical Curriculum ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Free State ◽  
Specific Information ◽  
Undergraduate Medical Students ◽  
Questionnaire Response ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Training Programmes ◽  
The University

<p><strong>Background:</strong> Faced with demanding training programmes, medical students may be more prone to use methylphenidate for non-medical purposes in order to improve concentration, alertness and academic performance.</p><p><strong>Aim:</strong> The study aimed to investigate the prevalence of the non-medical use of methylphenidate and knowledge of this drug among undergraduate medical students of the University of the Free State.</p><p><strong>Methods:</strong> This was a cross-sectional study. A self-administered, anonymous questionnaire was distributed during lectures to all students in the five year groups of the undergraduate medical programme.</p><p><strong>Results:</strong> Of the 643 undergraduate medical students, 541 completed the questionnaire (response rate: 84.1%). Approximately 11.0% of surveyed students were using methylphenidate at the time of the study, of which the majority (67.9%) used it for academic purposes and 70.6% received it from a medical health professional. Less than a third of users had been diagnosed with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Methylphenidate users’ median knowledge was greater than non-users, and methylphenidate knowledge increased from first-year and second-year students to third-year to fifth-year students. Median knowledge scores per year group ranged from 52.0% to 60.0%.</p><p><strong>Conclusion:</strong> Methylphenidate is mainly used for non-medical purposes by medical students. Students generally have a low level of knowledge on methylphenidate. Specific information on methylphenidate should be included in lectures on stress management and study methods during the course of the medical curriculum.</p>

scholarly journals Frequency and associated factors related to sexual addiction in medical students from 16 Latin American cities, 2016: a regional multicentric study

F1000Research ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. 108
Author(s):  
Christian Richard Mejia-Alvarez ◽  
Jhosselyn Chacon-I ◽  
Dayanne Benites-Gamboa ◽  
Niels Pacheco-Barrios ◽  
Giancarlo F. Castillo-Tarrillo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Latin America ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Sexual Addiction ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Multicentric Study ◽  
First Semester ◽  
Screening Programs ◽  
The University

Background: Examples of addiction problems that have been reported in growing populations are those related to sexual impulses and addictions. However, such studies have not been carried out in Latin America. The aim of this study was to characterize and identify possible associations of sexual addiction in medical students in Latin America. Methods: An analytical cross-sectional study was carried out among the university students of a medical school in 16 cities; students of medical schools were interviewed during the first semester of 2016. To define sexual addiction, the multi-cage cad-4 test was used, categorizing individuals as possibly or not a potential problem. Additionally, associations with several social and educational variables were obtained. Results: In our study, 6% (221) of the 3691 respondents exhibited a possible problem of sexual addiction; men had 95% more problems (95% confidence interval (95%CI): 21-214, p=0.006), for each year of age it increased by 9% (95%CI: 1-18%, p=0.034 ), those who had a partner were 67%  more likely to exhibit sexual addiction (95%CI: 1.34-2.08%, p <0.001) and those who professed a religion present 44% less frequency (95%CI: 20-60%, p: 0.001). When adjusted for marital status, having children, year of studies, and the university where the respondent studied were not associated. Conclusion: Although the percentage of students who had problems with sexual addiction is minimal, screening programs should be created to find students who suffer from these problems, to avoid the possible consequences that may arise.

scholarly journals Stress among medical students: factor structure of the University Stress Scale among Italian students

BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. e035255
Author(s):  
Igor Portoghese ◽  
Fabio Porru ◽  
Maura Galletta ◽  
Marcello Campagna ◽  
Alex Burdorf
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
Convergent Validity ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Short Form ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Italian Version ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Stress Scale ◽  
The University

ObjectivesThe main purpose of the current study was to investigate the psychometric properties of the Italian version of the University Stress Scale (USS) among Italian medical students.Design, setting and participantsA cross-sectional observational study based on data from an online cross-sectional survey from 11 to 23 December 2018. A total of 1858 Italian medical students participated in the study.Outcome measuresWe measured perceived stress among medical students using the USS, the Effort-Reward Imbalance Student Questionnaire (ERI-SQ) and the Kessler-10 (K10).ResultsResults showed that a bifactor-Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling solution provided excellent levels of fit to the data. Our results suggest that the modified version of 19 items of the Italian version of the USS does not have a simple unidimensional structure. Overall, an inspection of ancillary indices (omega indices, ECV and percentage of uncontaminated correlations) revealed that these were too low to suggest the use of the USS as a composite measure of university stress. We tested an alternative unidimensional short form (eight items; USS-S) that assessed all the five sources of stress. This version provided a good fit to the data. Evidence of convergent validity of the USS-S was observed by analysing the correlations between the USS and ERI-SQ (ranging from −0.34 to 0.37, all p<0.01). Finally, based on the clinical cut-off recommended on the K10, results from receiver operating characteristic showed that considering the clinical cut-off of the USS is 7.5 and that 59.70% of medical students reported stress levels in the clinical range.ConclusionFinally, our results showed a lack of support for using the USS to measure a general university stress factor, as the general USS factor accounted for little variance in our sample. In this sense, stress scores among Italian students can be better assessed by the use of the USS-S.

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