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- Title
Exercise Prescription by South African Doctors Part 2: Knowledge, Attitudes And Self-Perceived Competence Towards Exercise Prescription Among Final Year Medical Students.
- Authors
Holtzhausen, Louis; van Zyl, Gert
- Abstract
Introduction and aim: Physical activity (PA) promotion is an integral part of preventative health care and reducing morbidity and premature mortality. Many barriers exist in implementing exercise prescription into the health care paradigm, possibly including inadequate undergraduate medical training. The aim of the study was to investigate the knowledge, attitudes, and self-perceived competence towards exercise prescription, as well as own exercise habits, amongst final year medical students from two South African universities. Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted by means of an anonymous, self-reported questionnaire. Descriptive statistics was used, and correlations calculated at 95% confidence intervals. Results: Only 16.9% of South African medical students obtain knowledge regarding exercise prescription from their medical curriculum (24.7% from University A and 9.6% from University B). Only 62% of students achieved an overall pass mark on the fundamental principles of exercise prescription. The vast majority (97.9%) of University B students do not know formal guidelines for exercise prescription and 35.1% of them are unlikely to prescribe exercise (p=0.0001), compared to 22.5% from University A. University B students feel more competent in prescribing exercise correctly than University A (23.6% vs. 15.2%). Formal guidelines for exercise prescription is regarded as highly important by 57.8% of students, but only 19.3% feel highly competent in using it to prescribe exercise. A direct correlation exists between students' health habits and attitudes toward preventive counselling. Only 17 % of students meet the ASCM's criteria for exercise for health. Conclusions: The knowledge of South African final year medical students on exercise prescription is inadequate, rendering them unlikely to prescribe exercise. Minimal curricular input on exercise prescription at one university made a significant difference in knowledge and attitudes. Review of curricular content is recommended to include principles of exercise prescription. The promotion of physical activity to medical students during their training years is also recommended, to contribute to their health and increased awareness of the benefits of regular exercise.
- Subjects
PHYSICAL activity; TRAINING of medical students; EXERCISE; SAFETY
- Publication
South African Journal of Sports Medicine, 2015, Vol 27, p26
- ISSN
1015-5163
- Publication type
Article