[Health behavior of polish physicians].

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Physicians are perceived by patients as a competent source of information about health. However, the professional knowledge of health does not have to be identical with practicing health behavior in private life. THE AIM: To assess the health behaviors of Polish doctors. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We examined 614 medical practitioners. The mean age was 49.16±13.56 years. The average body mass index (BMI) was 24.81±4.09 kg /m2. The subjects completed medical studies on average 23.68±13.77 years ago. The majority (80.88%) had at least one medical specialization. The method was a diagnostic survey. Health Behavior Inventory (Inwentarz Zachowan Zdrowotnych or IZZ) was used and a special questionnaire containing questions about health behaviors not included in the IZZ. RESULTS: The dominance of unhealthy behaviors was observed in 27.34% of the group studied, the dominance of healthy behavior in 29.45% of participants. The others (43.21%) declared a similar extent of behavior in both categories. Participants were working an average of 40.42±18.77 hours a week, while they were sleeping an average of 6.56 ± 1.03 hours a day. We observed the difference in the results of IZZ according to gender (p <0.01) and the partnership situation (p <0.01). It was also shown that there is a positive correlation between the result of IZZ and the time elapsed since the completion of specialization (p <0.01). Univariate analysis demonstrated a positive correlation between the fact of having a partner and a result of IZZ (p <0.01) and the difference between people showing healthy and unhealthy behaviors in terms of age (p<0.05) and the time elapsed since the completion of specialization (p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: 1. Polish doctors are a diverse group in terms of health behavior. 2. Undertaking health behaviors by doctors is encouraged by female sex, older age, lower BMI, a long time after completion of specialization. 3. Performing the medical profession is not the same as the manifestation of healthy behavior in private life.