Introduction:

Due to academic workload and stress, medical students often adopt unhealthy habits that affect their physical and mental health and academic performance.

Objective:

To determine the health habits of medical students at the National University of Asunción, Paraguay, in 2024.

Methodology:

An observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted from March to November 2024. The accessible population included students from the Faculty of Medicine who were enrolled in the program during the study period. The sampling was non-probabilistic for convenience. Sociodemographic and academic variables were measured, as well as health habits related to physical condition, recreation and free time management, diet, and sleep. The “Questionnaire on lifestyle practices and beliefs” by M. Arrivillaga, I. C. Salazar, and I. Gómez from 2002 was used as the measurement instrument. The minimum sample size was 270, considering 906 students enrolled in 2024, a confidence level of 95%, an error of 5%, and a rejection rate of 10%. The research was approved by the Ethics Committee, ruling CEI No. 83/2024 Code TI 587/284.

Results:

Three hundred and seven students participated in the study, 57.6% (177) were women, with a mean age of 22 ± 2 years, and most of them were in their second year (28.3%). Eighty-two percent engaged in some type of physical activity, the main reason being to improve physical health. Sixty-two-point-five percent occasionally performed exercises that help cardiac function, and 63.8% never performed relaxation activities. Occasionally, 85.6% engaged in some type of recreation in their free time, and 81.1% devoted part of their free time to academic or work activities. In terms of eating habits, 63.5% drink 1 to 2 liters of water, 61.8% occasionally include fresh and healthy foods in their diet, and 71.9% maintain regular meal times. Meanwhile, 93.1% occasionally consume fast food, and 85.2% occasionally consume sweets, ice cream, and cakes. 88.9% occasionally stay up late, and 78.8% report that they never use sleeping pills.

Conclusions:

Most medical students have healthy habits.

        · resumen en Español     · texto en Español     · Español ( pdf )