Health promoting behaviors of family practice residents: do they compare with the general public?
To compare the health promoting behaviors of family medicine residents with those of the general population, data from a survey of 466 residents in the six-state south central region were compared by gender to data from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS, 1985), adjusted for age, education, and income. The results showed that less than 5% of the family medicine residents were currently smoking cigarettes versus 28% of the NHIS respondents. Daily use of alcohol was significantly lower among men residents than NHIS men, 1.9% versus 13%, but was similar between women residents and NHIS women, 4.9% versus 4.0%. Residents were more likely to consistently use seat belts than the national study population, 74.3% versus 56.8%. There were no significant differences in weight or exercise patterns. However, residents reported a significantly higher incidence of personal or emotional problems during the previous year than NHIS respondents, 50.7% versus 37% for men, and 64.1% versus 49% for women, and were more likely to seek professional help.
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Department of Family Medicine, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, 77550.
D000328:Adult; D005194:Family Practice / Q000193:education*; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006293:Health Promotion; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency; D008297:Male; D014481:United States