Predictors of physical activity and barriers to exercise in nursing and medical students

Blake, Holly; Stanulewicz, Natalia; McGill, Francesca

Abstract

Aims

To investigate physical activity levels of nursing and medicine students; examine predictors of physical activity level; and examine the most influential benefits and barriers to exercise.
Background

Healthcare professionals have low levels of physical activity, which increases their health risk and may influence their health promotion practices with patients.
Design

We surveyed 361 nursing (n=193) and medicine (n=168) students studying at a UK medical school.
Methods

Questionnaire survey, active over 12 months in 2014-2015. Measures included physical activity level, benefits and barriers to exercise, social support, perceived stress and self-efficacy for exercise.
Results

Many nursing and medicine students did not achieve recommended levels of physical activity (nursing: 48%; medicine: 38%). Perceived benefits of exercise were health-related, with medicine students identifying additional benefits for stress-relief. Most notable barriers to exercise were: lack of time, facilities having inconvenient schedules and exercise not fitting around study or placement schedules. Nursing students were less active than medicine students; they perceived fewer benefits and more barriers to exercise and reported lower social support for exercise. Physical activity of nursing and medicine students was best predicted by self-efficacy and social support, explaining 35% of the variance.
Conclusion

Physical activity should be promoted in nursing and medicine students. Interventions should aim to build self-efficacy for exercise and increase social support. Interventions should be developed that are targeted specifically to shift-working frontline care staff, to reduce schedule-related barriers to exercise and increase accessibility to workplace health and wellbeing initiatives.

Citation

Blake, H., Stanulewicz, N., & McGill, F. (2017). Predictors of physical activity and barriers to exercise in nursing and medical students. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 73(4), 917-929. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.13181

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Sep 28, 2016
• Online Publication Date: Oct 12, 2016
• Publication Date: Mar 9, 2017
• Deposit Date: Nov 1, 2016
• Publicly Available Date: Nov 1, 2016
• Journal: Journal of Advanced Nursing
• Print ISSN: 0309-2402
• Electronic ISSN: 1365-2648
• Publisher: Wiley
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 73
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 917-929
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.13181
• Keywords: Exercise; healthcare students; nursing; physical activity; self-efficacy; social support
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/849283
• Publisher URL: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jan.13181/full
• Additional Information: This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Blake, H., Stanulewicz, N. and McGill, F. (2016), Predictors of physical activity and barriers to exercise in nursing and medical students. J Adv Nurs., which has been published in final form at http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jan.13181. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving.
• Contract Date: Nov 1, 2016