Do final-year medical students in Scotland have the knowledge and confidence to deliver the physical activity guidelines? A cross-sectional online survey to evaluate changes over a decade

Objectives This study assessed knowledge of physical activity (PA) guidelines and confidence to deliver PA advice, across current final-year medical students in Scotland. This follows a 2013 survey finding that this cohort lacked this knowledge and confidence; thus, authors recommended improvements...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Gemma C Ryde, Isabelle Schlegel
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMJ Publishing Group 2025-01-01
Series:BMJ Open
Online Access:https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/15/1/e086741.full
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1832583525003427840
author Gemma C Ryde
Isabelle Schlegel
author_facet Gemma C Ryde
Isabelle Schlegel
author_sort Gemma C Ryde
collection DOAJ
description Objectives This study assessed knowledge of physical activity (PA) guidelines and confidence to deliver PA advice, across current final-year medical students in Scotland. This follows a 2013 survey finding that this cohort lacked this knowledge and confidence; thus, authors recommended improvements to undergraduate medical PA education and re-evaluation of these measures thereafter.Design A cross-sectional online survey.Setting The survey was distributed across four Scottish universities.Participants Final-year undergraduate medical students; n=166 completed the survey. 69% women, 23.3±1.8 years old and 69% met the PA guidelines.Results 27% correctly identified the UK PA guidelines, despite 52% stating awareness of these. While 80% reported receiving PA education, only 20% felt adequately trained to give PA advice to the general population. This study highlights that compared with 2013, more students were aware of PA guidelines and had received training, but fewer could identify the guidelines, and they felt less adequately trained to give PA advice.Conclusion This study highlights the ongoing need to improve PA in the undergraduate medical curriculum. Future studies should continue to evaluate students' confidence and ability to deliver PA advice to patients as PA training is implemented across UK universities.
format Article
id doaj-art-2af64c6579f446f091830fadf117c941
institution Kabale University
issn 2044-6055
language English
publishDate 2025-01-01
publisher BMJ Publishing Group
record_format Article
series BMJ Open
spelling doaj-art-2af64c6579f446f091830fadf117c9412025-01-28T11:20:10ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Open2044-60552025-01-0115110.1136/bmjopen-2024-086741Do final-year medical students in Scotland have the knowledge and confidence to deliver the physical activity guidelines? A cross-sectional online survey to evaluate changes over a decadeGemma C Ryde0Isabelle Schlegel1College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UKCollege of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UKObjectives This study assessed knowledge of physical activity (PA) guidelines and confidence to deliver PA advice, across current final-year medical students in Scotland. This follows a 2013 survey finding that this cohort lacked this knowledge and confidence; thus, authors recommended improvements to undergraduate medical PA education and re-evaluation of these measures thereafter.Design A cross-sectional online survey.Setting The survey was distributed across four Scottish universities.Participants Final-year undergraduate medical students; n=166 completed the survey. 69% women, 23.3±1.8 years old and 69% met the PA guidelines.Results 27% correctly identified the UK PA guidelines, despite 52% stating awareness of these. While 80% reported receiving PA education, only 20% felt adequately trained to give PA advice to the general population. This study highlights that compared with 2013, more students were aware of PA guidelines and had received training, but fewer could identify the guidelines, and they felt less adequately trained to give PA advice.Conclusion This study highlights the ongoing need to improve PA in the undergraduate medical curriculum. Future studies should continue to evaluate students' confidence and ability to deliver PA advice to patients as PA training is implemented across UK universities.https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/15/1/e086741.full
spellingShingle Gemma C Ryde
Isabelle Schlegel
Do final-year medical students in Scotland have the knowledge and confidence to deliver the physical activity guidelines? A cross-sectional online survey to evaluate changes over a decade
BMJ Open
title Do final-year medical students in Scotland have the knowledge and confidence to deliver the physical activity guidelines? A cross-sectional online survey to evaluate changes over a decade
title_full Do final-year medical students in Scotland have the knowledge and confidence to deliver the physical activity guidelines? A cross-sectional online survey to evaluate changes over a decade
title_fullStr Do final-year medical students in Scotland have the knowledge and confidence to deliver the physical activity guidelines? A cross-sectional online survey to evaluate changes over a decade
title_full_unstemmed Do final-year medical students in Scotland have the knowledge and confidence to deliver the physical activity guidelines? A cross-sectional online survey to evaluate changes over a decade
title_short Do final-year medical students in Scotland have the knowledge and confidence to deliver the physical activity guidelines? A cross-sectional online survey to evaluate changes over a decade
title_sort do final year medical students in scotland have the knowledge and confidence to deliver the physical activity guidelines a cross sectional online survey to evaluate changes over a decade
url https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/15/1/e086741.full
work_keys_str_mv AT gemmacryde dofinalyearmedicalstudentsinscotlandhavetheknowledgeandconfidencetodeliverthephysicalactivityguidelinesacrosssectionalonlinesurveytoevaluatechangesoveradecade
AT isabelleschlegel dofinalyearmedicalstudentsinscotlandhavetheknowledgeandconfidencetodeliverthephysicalactivityguidelinesacrosssectionalonlinesurveytoevaluatechangesoveradecade