Blended-eLearning Improves Alcohol Use Care in Kenya: Pragmatic Randomized Control Trial Results and Parallel Qualitative Study Implications.

Alcohol use is the 5th most important risk factor contributing to the global burden of diseases, with stigma and a lack of trained health workers as the main barriers to adequate care. This study assesses the impact of providing blended-eLearning courses teaching the alcohol, smoking, and substance involvement screening test (ASSIST) screening and its linked brief intervention (BI). In public and private facilities, two randomized control trials (RCTs) showed large and similar decreases in alcohol use in those receiving the BI compared to those receiving only the ASSIST feedback. Qualitative findings confirm a meaningful reduction in alcohol consumption; decrease in stigma and significant practice change, suggesting lay health workers and clinicians can learn effective interventions through blended-eLearning; and significantly improve alcohol use care in a low- and middle-income country (LMIC) context. In addition, our study provides insight into why lay health workers feedback led to a similar decrease in alcohol consumption compared to those who also received a BI by clinicians. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11469-022-00841-x.

Perception of Medical Student Mistreatment: Does Specialty Matter?

PURPOSE: Medical student mistreatment is pervasive, yet whether all physicians have a shared understanding of the problem is unclear. The authors presented professionally designed trigger videos to physicians from 6 different specialties to determine if they perceive mistreatment and its severity similarly. METHOD: From October 2016 to August 2018, resident and attending physicians from 10 U.S. medical schools viewed 5 trigger videos showing behaviors that could be perceived as mistreatment. They completed a survey exploring their perceptions. The authors compared perceptions of mistreatment across specialties and, for each scenario, evaluated the relationship between specialty and perception of mistreatment. RESULTS: Six-hundred fifty resident and attending physicians participated. There were statistically significant differences in perception of mistreatment across specialties for 3 of the 5 scenarios: aggressive questioning (range, 74.1%-91.2%), negative feedback (range, 25.4%-63.7%), and assignment of inappropriate tasks (range, 5.5%-25.5%) (P ≤ .001, for all). After adjusting for gender, race, professional role, and prior mistreatment, physicians in surgery viewed 3 scenarios (aggressive questioning, negative feedback, and inappropriate tasks) as less likely to represent mistreatment compared with internal medicine physicians. Physicians from obstetrics-gynecology and "other" specialties perceived less mistreatment in 2 scenarios (aggressive questioning and negative feedback), while family physicians perceived more mistreatment in 1 scenario (negative feedback) compared with internal medicine physicians. The mean severity of perceived mistreatment on a 1 to 7 scale (7 most serious) also varied statistically significantly across the specialties for 3 scenarios: aggressive questioning (range, 4.4-5.4; P < .001), ethnic insensitivity (range, 5.1-6.1; P = .001), and sexual harassment (range, 5.5-6.3; P = .004). CONCLUSIONS: Specialty was associated with differences in the perception of mistreatment and rating of its severity. Further investigation is needed to understand why these perceptions of mistreatment vary among specialties and how to address these differences.

Association between substance use and professional outcomes among medical students: Findings from a Canadian cross-sectional survey.

Background: While substance use is common among medical students, there is limited research on this topic involving Canadian medical students or exploring its associations with professional outcomes. The present study examines the association between Canadian medical students' substance use and related counselling attitudes and practices, career satisfaction, academic/clinical workload, and the medical school environment. Methods: We sent an electronic cross-sectional survey to students attending all 17 Canadian medical schools between November 2015 and March 2016. A total of 4,438 participants completed the survey across four years of study, with a participation rate of 40.2%. We considered four categories of substance use: cannabis, alcohol, non-medical use of prescription stimulants (NPS), and cigarettes. Covariates included professional attitudes (e.g., career satisfaction, distress, patient counselling on alcohol or smoking cessation), specialty of interest, learner mistreatment, and perceived medical school support. We used multivariate logistic regression models, generating adjusted odds ratios (AORs), to examine covariates associated with substance use and how substance use (as a covariate) was associated with different professional outcomes. Results: Individuals more interested in "lifestyle" specialties (AOR, 1.81; 95% CI, 1.08-3.05) and surgical specialties (AOR, 1.69; 95% CI, 1.16-2.47) were more likely to report excessive alcohol use. Those interested in primary care were more likely to report cannabis use in the past 12 months (AOR, 1.85; 95% CI, 1.14-3.00). We did not identify significant associations between specialty of interest and current cigarette or NPS use in the past 12 months. However, excessive alcohol use was associated with greater career satisfaction (AOR, 1.24; 95% CI: 1.04-1.49), whereas NPS in the past 12 months was associated with poorer career satisfaction (AOR, 0.63; 95% CI: 0.42-0.93). In addition, there was a negative association between NPS use and the ability to handle workloads due to physical (AOR, 0.31; 95% CI, 0.18-0.54) or mental health issues (AOR, 0.46; 95% CI, 0.30-0.71), but not for other substances. We also found significant negative associations between current cigarette use and the perceived relevance of smoking cessation counselling (AOR, 0.48; 95% CI: 0.29-0.80) and alcohol cessation counselling (AOR, 0.42; 95% CI: 0.25-0.70). Conclusions: These findings suggest that specific patterns of substance use in medical students appeared to be significantly associated with some professional outcomes, specialty of interest, and attitudes towards addiction-related clinical practice. Encouraging medical students to practise healthy habits, including minimizing harmful substance use behaviours, could be an important target for improving medical students' health and their patient care.

Contexte: Bien que la consommation d'alcool et de drogues soit courante chez les étudiants en médecine, peu d'études sur ce sujet ont été menées auprès d'étudiants canadiens en médecine ou ont exploré ses liens avec les résultats professionnels. La présente étude examine l'association entre la consommation de substances psychoactives des étudiants canadiens en médecine et les comportements et habitudes en matière de suivi psychologique, la satisfaction à l'égard de la carrière, la charge de travail universitaire/en clinique et l'environnement de la faculté de médecine. Méthodes: Nous avons fait parvenir une enquête transversale électronique aux étudiants fréquentant les 17 facultés de médecine canadiennes entre novembre 2015 et mars 2016. Au total, 4 438 participants ont répondu à l'enquête sur quatre années d'études, avec un taux de participation de 40,2 %. Nous avons considéré quatre catégories de consommation de substances : le cannabis, l'alcool, l'utilisation non médicale de stimulants sur ordonnance (NSO) et les cigarettes. Les covariables comprenaient les attitudes professionnelles (par exemple, la satisfaction professionnelle, la détresse, les conseils aux patients sur l'arrêt de l'alcool ou du tabac), la spécialité choisie, les maltraitances infligées aux étudiants et le soutien perçu de la faculté de médecine. Nous avons utilisé des modèles de régression logistique multivariés, générant des rapports de cotes ajustés (RCA), pour examiner les covariables associées à la consommation de substances et la façon dont la consommation de substances (en tant que covariable) était associée à différents résultats professionnels. Résultats: Les personnes plus intéressées par les spécialités "mode de vie" (RCA, 1,81 ; IC 95 %, 1,08-3,05) et les spécialités chirurgicales (RCA, 1,69 ; IC 95 %, 1,16-2,47) étaient plus susceptibles de déclarer une consommation excessive d'alcool. Les personnes intéressées par les soins primaires étaient plus susceptibles de déclarer avoir consommé du cannabis au cours des 12 derniers mois (RCA, 1,85 ; IC à 95 %, 1,14-3,00). Nous n'avons pas identifié d'associations significatives entre la spécialité choisie et la consommation de cigarettes ou de NSO au cours des 12 derniers mois. Toutefois, la consommation excessive d'alcool était associée à une plus grande satisfaction professionnelle (RCA, 1,24 ; IC à 95 % : 1,04-1,49), tandis que la consommation de NSO au cours des 12 derniers mois était associé à une plus faible satisfaction professionnelle (RCA, 0,63 ; IC à 95 % : 0,42-0,93). En outre, il existe une association négative entre la consommation de NSO et la capacité à gérer la charge de travail en raison de problèmes de santé physique (RCA, 0,31 ; IC à 95%, 0,18-0,54) ou mentale (RCA, 0,46 ; IC à 95%, 0,30-0,71), mais pas pour les autres substances. Nous avons également constaté des associations négatives significatives entre l'usage de la cigarette et la pertinence perçue des conseils en matière d'arrêt du tabac (RCA, 0,48 ; IC 95 % : 0,29-0,80) et des conseils en matière d'arrêt de l'alcool (RCA, 0,42 ; IC 95 % : 0,25-0,70). Conclusions: Ces résultats suggèrent que des modèles spécifiques de consommation de substances psychoactives chez les étudiants en médecine semblent être significativement associés à certains résultats professionnels, à la spécialité choisie et aux attitudes envers la pratique clinique liée à la dépendance. Encourager les étudiants en médecine à adopter des habitudes saines, notamment en minimisant les comportements nocifs liés à la consommation de substances, pourrait être un objectif important pour améliorer la santé des étudiants en médecine et les soins aux patients. Motsclés: Consommation de substances psychoactives ; Étudiants en médecine ; Enquête ; Canada.

Comparison of Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Outcomes Among Practicing Physicians vs the General Population in Ontario, Canada.

Importance: Although cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in most developed countries, little is known about current physicians' cardiovascular health and outcomes. Objective: To compare cardiac risk factor burden, health services use, and major cardiovascular event incidence between physicians and the general population. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cohort study used data from practicing physicians and nonphysicians without cardiovascular disease aged 40 to 75 years in Ontario, Canada. Cohorts were assembled beginning January 1, 2008, and were followed up to December 31, 2015. Data analysis was performed between November 2017 and September 2019. Exposure: Being a practicing physician. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was 8-year incidence of a major cardiovascular event (ie, cardiovascular death or hospitalization for myocardial infarction, stroke, heart failure, or coronary revascularization). Secondary outcomes included health services used, such as physician assessments and guideline-recommended tests. Results: The cohort comprised 17 071 physicians (mean [SD] age, 53.3 [8.8] years; 11 963 [70.1%] men) and 5 306 038 nonphysicians (mean [SD] age, 53.7 [9.5] years; 2 556 044 [48.2%] men). Physicians had significantly lower baseline rates of hypertension (16.9% vs 29.6%), diabetes (5.0% vs 11.3%), and smoking (13.1% vs 21.6%), while having better cholesterol profiles (total cholesterol levels >240 mg/dL, 13.3% vs 16.5%; low-density lipoprotein cholesterol >130 mg/dL, 33.2% vs 36.8%); age- and sex-adjusted differences were even larger. Physicians also had lower rates of periodic health examinations (58.9% [95% CI, 57.5%-60.4%] vs 67.9% [95% CI, 67.8%-67.9%]), hyperlipidemia screening (76.3% [95% CI, 74.7%-78.0%] vs 83.8% [95% CI, 83.7%-83.9%]), and diabetes screening (79.0% [95% CI, 77.3%-80.8%] vs 85.3% [95% CI, 85.2%-85.4%]), but higher rates of cardiologist consultations (25.2% [95% CI, 24.2%-26.3%] vs 19.5% [95% CI, 19.4%-19.5%]). The 8-year age- and sex-standardized primary outcome incidence was 4.4 major cardiovascular events per 1000 person-years for physicians and 7.1 major cardiovascular events per 1000 person-years for the general population. After adjusting for age, sex, socioeconomic status, and cardiac risks and comorbidities, physicians had a 22% lower hazard (hazard ratio, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.72-0.85) of experiencing the primary outcome compared with the general population. Conclusions and Relevance: Practicing physicians in Ontario had fewer cardiovascular risk factors, underwent less preventive testing, and were less likely to experience major adverse cardiovascular outcomes than the general population.

Peer- and Mentor-Enhanced Web-Based Training on Substance Use Disorders: A Promising Approach in Low-Resource Settings.

Stigma and insufficient training contribute significantly to the substance use disorder pandemic. This 2014 study assessed the impact in Kenya of online competency-based courses on peer and mentor interactions, using NextGenU.org, the world's only portal to free and accredited higher education. A total of 99 health care workers participated in one of two courses. Completers (50% of those who logged in) reported significant increases in knowledge about substance use disorders and decreases in stigma. Most (92%) stated that they preferred the NextGenU.org courses over classroom courses. All respondents were very confident that they gained useful knowledge and skills and would recommend the courses to peers. Learners' improvements in knowledge, skills, and stigma-related attitudes were comparable to those seen in "gold-standard," contact-intensive, and costly educational models. Free, accredited, easily scalable, clinically interactive, Web-based training courses can teach knowledge and skills while reducing stigma, even in low-resource settings.

NextGenU.org's Free, Globally Available Online Training in Lifestyle Medicine.

NextGenU.org now uniquely offers a free, accredited, globally-available online training in Lifestyle Medicine. Courses such as Lifestyle Medicine for Primary Care Physicians, Prevention and Treatment of Alcohol Use Disorders/Tobacco Use, Substance Use Disorder Screening, Public Health Nutrition, and more are competency-based and include knowledge transfer, a web-based global peer community of practice, and local, skills-based mentorships. Trainings use existing, expert-created resources from governments, universities, and medical specialty societies thus ensuring their quality and simultaneously making them free of costs, advertisement, and geographic barriers. To offer free credits for these courses, NextGenU.org partners with universities and professional societies. NextGenU.org's comprehensive Lifestyle Medicine Curriculum will launch in early 2017.

FACTORS INFLUENCING LAY AND PROFESSIONAL HEALTH WORKERS' SELF-EFFICACY IN IDENTIFICATION AND INTERVENTION FOR ALCOHOL, TOBACCO, AND OTHER SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS IN KENYA.

The global burden of substance use disorders (SUDs), including alcohol and tobacco, disproportionately affect low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), considering their rising disease burden and low service capacity. Nested within a Kenyan training program, this study explores factors associated with healthcare providers' self-efficacy to treat SUD. Surveys of 206 healthcare workers were used to perform regression and sensitivity analysis assessing various factors association with self-efficacy. Self-efficacy for SUD was lower in those practicing in public facilities and perceiving a need for alcohol use disorder (AUD) training; while higher self-efficacy correlated with a higher proportion of patients with AUD in one's setting, access to mental health worker support, cannabis use at a moderate risk level, and belief that AUD is manageable in outpatient settings. Increasing awareness about SUD prevalence, identification, and treatment skills could improve the self-efficacy of LMICs' health care providers and therefore the willingness to implement more services for patients with SUDs.

Substance Use among a Sample of Healthcare Workers in Kenya: A Cross-Sectional Study.

This study describes reported substance use among Kenyan healthcare workers (HCWs), as it has implications for HCWs' health, productivity, and their ability and likelihood to intervene on substance use. The Alcohol Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST) was administered to a convenience sample of HCWs (n = 206) in 15 health facilities. Reported lifetime use was 35.8% for alcohol, 23.5% for tobacco, 9.3% for cannabis, 9.3% for sedatives, 8.8% for cocaine, 6.4% for amphetamine-like stimulants, 5.4% for hallucinogens, 3.4% for inhalants, and 3.9% for opioids. Tobacco and alcohol were also the two most commonly used substances in the previous three months. Male gender and other substance use were key predictors of both lifetime and previous three months' use rates. HCWs' substance use rates appear generally higher than those seen in the general population in Kenya, though lower than those reported among many HCWs globally. This pattern of use has implications for both HCWs and their clients.

The association between physicians' and patients' preventive health practices.

BACKGROUND: Although much has been written about the potential power of the association between physicians' personal health practices and those of their patients, objective studies of this relationship are lacking. We investigated this association using objectively measured health care indicators. METHODS: We assessed 8 indicators of quality of health care (screening and vaccination practices) for primary care physicians (n = 1488) and their adult patients (n = 1,886,791) in Israel's largest health maintenance organization; the physicians were also patients in this health care system. RESULTS: For all 8 indicators, patients whose physicians were compliant with the preventive practices were more likely (p < 0.05) to also have undergone these preventive measures than patients with noncompliant physicians. We also found that more similar preventive practices showed somewhat stronger relations. For example, among patients whose physician had received the influenza vaccine, 49.1% of eligible patients received flu vaccines compared with 43.2% of patients whose physicians did not receive the vaccine (5.9% absolute difference, 13.7% relative difference). This is twice the relative difference (7.2%) shown for pneumococcal vaccine-eligible patients of influenza-vaccinated versus nonvaccinated physicians (60.9% v. 56.8%). When we examined the rates of unrelated practices, we found that, for example, mammography rates were identical for patients whose physicians did and did not receive the influenza vaccine. INTERPRETATION: We found a consistent, positive relation between physicians' and patients' preventive health practices. Objectively establishing this healthy doctor-healthy patient relation should encourage prevention-oriented health care systems to better support and evaluate the effects on patients of improving the physical health of medical students and physicians.

Health care providers' advice to quit smoking, National Health Interview Survey, 2000, 2005, and 2010.

Although the prevalence of cigarette smoking has declined in the United States, little documentation exists to ascertain which health care providers (HCPs) promote smoking cessation. We used data from the 2000, 2005, and 2010 Cancer Control Supplement of the National Health Interview Survey to examine changes in the number of adults who received smoking cessation advice from their HCP. The percentage of smokers who received cessation advice was 53.3% in 2000, 58.9% in 2005, and 50.7% in 2010. To affect noticeably declining rates, HCPs should increase their efforts to advise smokers to quit.

U.S. primary care physicians' diet-, physical activity-, and weight-related care of adult patients.

BACKGROUND: Overweight and obesity are substantial problems in the U.S., but few national studies exist on primary care physicians' (PCPs') clinical practices regarding overweight and obesity. PURPOSE: To profile diet, physical activity, and weight control practice patterns of PCPs who treat adults. METHODS: A nationally representative survey of 1211 PCPs sampled from the American Medical Association's Masterfile was conducted in 2008 and analyzed in 2010. Outcomes included PCPs' assessment, counseling, referral, and follow-up of diet, physical activity, and weight control in adult patients with and without chronic disease and PCPs' use of pharmacologic treatments and surgical referrals for overweight and obesity. RESULTS: The survey response rate was 64.5%. Half of PCPs (49%) reported recording BMI regularly. Fewer than 50% reported always providing specific guidance on diet, physical activity, or weight control. Regardless of patients' chronic disease status, <10% of PCPs always referred patients for further evaluation/management and <22% reported always systematically tracking patients over time concerning weight or weight-related behaviors. Overall, PCPs were more likely to counsel on physical activity than on diet or weight control (p's<0.05). More than 70% of PCPs reported ever using pharmacologic treatments to treat overweight and 86% had referred for obesity-related surgery. CONCLUSIONS: PCPs' assessment and behavioral management of overweight and obesity in adults is at a low level relative to the magnitude of the problem in the U.S. Further research is needed to understand barriers to providing care and to improve physician engagement in tracking and managing healthy lifestyles in U.S. adults.

Screening practices of Israeli doctors' and their patients.

OBJECTIVE: Doctors' health matters because healthy physicians are more productive and because physicians' health practices affects their patient counseling habits, but there are few objective data on this topic. METHODS: An examination of differences in screening quality health indicators between physicians (n=429) and 1621 age, gender, and socioeconomically matched patient controls from our district Health Maintenance Organization in Israel during the first half of 2008. RESULTS: Doctors and matched patients had similar rates for low-density lipoprotein measurement (85%/84%=NS), colorectal cancer screening (23%/27%=NS), influenza vaccine among the chronically ill (23%/24%=NS), and mammography (for women, 55%/57%=NS). Doctors with hypertension had blood pressures clinically recorded considerably less frequently than matched patients do (56%/77%, p<0.001), and their smoking habits were recorded less often, but their recorded tobacco habits were significantly better. Physician-patient contrasts were also minimal (again except for clinician-recorded blood pressure and smoking) among the chronically ill. CONCLUSIONS: These are the first objective data of which we know that test (and confirm) prior self-reported data that physicians' screening experiences are similar to patients'. Improving physicians' personal screening could also improve patient screening: physicians' self-reported primary prevention habits are considerably better than patients' and have been shown repeatedly to strongly and consistently positively influence patient counseling practices, and hence the health of the public.

Predictors of Canadian physicians' prevention counseling practices.

OBJECTIVE: To understand predictors of Canadian physicians' prevention counseling practices. METHODS: A national mailed survey of a random sample of Canadian physicians conducted November 2007-May 2008. RESULTS: Primary care physicians (n=3213) responded to the survey (41% response rate); those with better personal health habits, female physicians, and physicians aged 45-64 years old were more likely to report "usually/always" counseling patients than did others, but there were no significant differences by province, origin of one's MD degree, or practice location. There was a clear and consistent relationship between personal and clinical prevention practices: non-smokers were significantly more likely to report counseling patients on smoking cessation; those who drank alcohol less frequently, drank lower quantities or binged less often were more likely to counsel on alcohol; those exercising more to counsel patients more about exercise; those eating more fruits and vegetables to counsel patients more often about nutrition; and those with lower weight were more likely to counsel about nutrition, weight or exercise. Physicians who strongly agreed or agreed that "they will perform better counseling if they have healthy habits" averaged higher rates of counseling (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Personal characteristics of Canadian physicians help predict prevention counseling. These data suggest that by encouraging physicians to be healthy, we can improve healthy habits among their patients--an innovative, beneficent, evidence-based approach to encouraging physicians to counsel patients about prevention.

Health practices of Canadian physicians.

OBJECTIVE: To study the health and health practices of Canadian physicians, which can often influence patient health. DESIGN: Mailed survey. SETTING: Canada. PARTICIPANTS: A random sample of 8100 Canadian physicians; 7934 were found to be eligible and 3213 responded (40.5% response rate). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Factors that influence health, such as consumption of fruits and vegetables, amount of exercise and alcohol consumption, smoking status, body mass idex, and participation in preventive health screening measures, as well as work-life balance and emotional stability. RESULTS: Canadian physicians are healthy. More than 90% reported being in good to excellent health, and only 5% reported that poor physical or mental health made it difficult to handle their workload more than half the time in the previous month (although a quarter had reduced work activity because of long-term health conditions). Eight percent were obese, 3% currently smoked cigarettes, and 1% typically consumed 5 drinks or more on days when they drank alcohol. Physicians averaged 4.7 hours of exercise per week and ate fruits and vegetables 4.8 times a day. Their personal screening practices were largely compliant with Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care recommendations. They averaged 38 hours per week on patient care and 11 hours on other professional activities. Fifty-seven percent agreed that they had a good work-life balance, and 11% disagreed with the statement "If I can, I work when I am ill." CONCLUSION: Compared with self-reports from the general Canadian population, Canadian physicians, like American physicians, seem to be healthy and to have generally healthy behaviour. There is, however, room for improvement in physicians' personal and professional well-being, and improving their personal health practices could be an efficient and beneficent way to improve the health of all Canadians.

Personal and clinical tobacco-related practices and attitudes of U.S. medical students.

OBJECTIVES: Medical students' tobacco-related practices particularly matter because practicing physicians' smoking predicts their tobacco counseling; the objective of this study was to determine when this relationship between personal and clinical tobacco practices develops, and to determine predictors of medical students' personal smoking habits, and predictors of their patient tobacco counseling practices. METHODS: We surveyed the Class of 2003 between 1999 and 2003, at freshman orientation (n=1836), entrance to wards (n=1616), and senior year (n=1441) in a nationally representative sample of 16 U.S. medical schools (response rate=80.3%). Tobacco use questions came from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention datasets, and tobacco counseling questions from validated instruments. RESULTS: 12% of female and 15% of male U.S. medical students report smoking, with no differences in usage over time. More tobacco counseling training and strongly believing in prevention significantly predicted both more perceived counseling relevance and frequency. Additionally, intention to practice primary care predicted relevance (OR=3.5, 95% CI: 2.5-4.9), and tobacco users were 77% (95% CI: 64%-94%) as likely as non-users to report frequently counseling smokers. CONCLUSIONS: U.S. medical students are less likely to smoke than other young U.S. adults, but more likely than U.S. physicians, and showed no clear decrease during medical school. It is encouraging that medical students with more exposure appreciate tobacco counseling's importance more, and are more likely to counsel. Students' personal tobacco use was also associated with counseling frequency. These data should help educators seeking better methods to reduce tobacco use.

The association between Colombian medical students' healthy personal habits and a positive attitude toward preventive counseling: cross-sectional analyses.

BACKGROUND: Physician-delivered preventive counseling is important for the prevention and management of chronic diseases. Data from the U.S. indicates that medical students with healthy personal habits have a better attitude towards preventive counseling. However, this association and its correlates have not been addressed in rapidly urbanized settings where chronic disease prevention strategies constitute a top public health priority. This study examines the association between personal health practices and attitudes toward preventive counseling among first and fifth-year students from 8 medical schools in Bogotá, Colombia. METHODS: During 2006, a total of 661 first- and fifth-year medical students completed a culturally adapted Spanish version of the "Healthy Doctor = Healthy Patient" survey (response rate = 78%). Logistic regression analyses were used to assess the association between overall personal practices on physical activity, nutrition, weight control, smoking, alcohol use (main exposure variable) and student attitudes toward preventive counseling on these issues (main outcome variable), stratified by year of training and adjusting by gender and medical training-related factors (basic knowledge, perceived adequacy of training and perception of the school's promotion on each healthy habit). RESULTS: The median age and percentage of females for the first- and fifth-year students were 21 years and 59.5% and 25 years and 65%, respectively. After controlling for gender and medical training-related factors, consumption of >or= 5 daily servings of fruits and/or vegetables, not being a smoker or binge drinker were associated with a positive attitude toward counseling on nutrition (OR = 4.71; CI = 1.6-14.1; p = 0.006 smoking (OR = 2.62; CI = 1.1-5.9; p = 0.022), and alcohol consumption (OR = 2.61; CI = 1.3-5.4; p = 0.009), respectively. CONCLUSION: As for U.S. physician and medical students, a positive association was found between the personal health habits of Colombian medical students and their corresponding attitudes toward preventive counseling, independent of gender and medial training-related factors. Our findings, the first relating to this association in medical students in developing regions, also suggest that within the medical school context, interventions focused on promoting healthy student lifestyles can potentially improve future physician's attitudes toward preventive counseling.

Sex-related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of U.S. medical students.

OBJECTIVE: To understand the personal and clinical safe-sex-related knowledge, attitudes, and practices of U.S. medical students. METHODS: Sixteen medical schools were selected to survey the class of 2003 based on their characteristics similar to the national average. Students were surveyed at freshman orientation, at entrance to wards, and during their senior year. The primary personal outcome was the response to the question, "Are you currently trying to practice safe sex when sexually involved? (no, not applicable/no, not trying/yes, low priority/yes, high priority)." The primary professional outcomes were answers to: 1) "How relevant do you think talking to patients about safe sex will be in your intended practice? (not at all/somewhat/highly)," and 2) "With a typical general medicine patient, how often do you actually talk about safe sex? (never-rarely/sometimes/usually-always)." RESULTS: A total of 2,316 students provided data, and the response rate was 80%. Personally practicing safe-sex habits was a high priority for 75% of the sexually active, single medical students, especially for women, African Americans, and those earlier in their medical education. Among seniors, 41% reported extensive training in discussing safe sex with patients, and 57% were highly confident about conducting such discussions. Overall, 55% of students believed it would be highly relevant to counsel patients about safe sex (59% of freshmen, 62% of those at entry to wards, and 41% of seniors); 73% answered all four true/false questions on human papillomavirus correctly. CONCLUSION: About half of U.S. medical students believed that counseling their patients about safe sex will not be highly relevant to their practice. These findings should be considered by those trying to interest a new generation of physicians in helping patients have safe-sex practices.

Changes in U.S. medical students' specialty interests over the course of medical school.

BACKGROUND: Studies have examined factors affecting medical students' specialty choice, but little research exists on stability of these specialty interests. OBJECTIVE: To describe patterns of change in specialty interests during medical school and examine associations between specialty change patterns and gender, desire for a high-prestige career, and interest in prevention. DESIGN: Medical students (Class of 2003) at 15 representative US schools were invited to complete surveys during freshman orientation, entry to wards, and senior year. PARTICIPANTS: This analysis used data from 942 students who completed all 3 surveys. MEASUREMENTS: In addition to a number of other items, students were asked to choose the 1 specialty they were most interested in pursuing. RESULTS: The most common specialty choices among freshman students were pediatrics (20%) and surgery (18%); least common choices were psychiatry and preventive medicine (1% each). General internal medicine was the initial specialty choice for 8%. Most students changed their specialty choices, regardless of initial interest. Only 30% of those initially interested in primary care (PC) remained interested at all 3 time points, compared to 68% of those initially interested in non-PC. Female versus male students were more commonly interested in PC at all 3 time points. Senior students interested in non-PC specialties were more likely to desire a high-prestige career (48%) than those interested in PC (31%). CONCLUSIONS: Medical students may benefit from more intensive introduction to some specialties earlier in pre-medical and medical education. In addition, increasing the prestige of PC fields may shape the physician workforce.

Learning amid controversy: prostate cancer knowledge and screening practices among US medical students.

BACKGROUND: No studies have examined medical students' recommendation and use of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing and digital rectal exam (DRE) to screen for prostate cancer. We hypothesized that students' race and extent of training on these techniques would be associated with their administration of them. METHODS: We analyzed multiinstitutional longitudinal data from a cohort of 2181 medical students in the class of 2003. We queried students' health behavior, their knowledge of prostate cancer racial disparities, their frequency of performing a PSA test or a DRE on a man 50 years of age or older (senior year only), the perceived relevance of such services to their future practice, and their training on PSA and DRE. We examined predictors of students' administering PSA and DRE tests to patients during the senior year and changes in the predictors over time. RESULTS: Respectively, 27% and 34% of students reported using the PSA and DRE "usually/always" during their senior year. Black students reported administering the PSA test more often than did students of other races, but race was not a significant predictor of PSA screening after controlling for personal healthy behavior. High perceived relevance to future practice and extensive training on PSA were most strongly associated with administration of PSA. CONCLUSIONS: The association between healthy personal behavior and PSA administration confounded the association between race and PSA screening. These results may help explain differences in prostate cancer screening among physicians and help medical educators tailor their curricula on prostate cancer screening.