title: Self-care in medical education: effectiveness of health-habits interventions for first-year medical students.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine changes in health habits (sleep, alcohol, and exercise) and the effects of an educational intervention promoting self-care on the emotional and academic adjustment of first-year medical students.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-four medical students completed questionnaires that assessed various health habits, alcohol use, depression severity, and areas of life satisfaction at the beginning of the semester, at mid-term, and at finals. Approximately half of the students received written feedback or participated in an educational discussion group at mid-term.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The students demonstrated significant changes in health habits, with increases in alcohol consumption and decreases in exercise and socialization. The changes in health habits were predictive of both emotional and academic adjustment, with students who decreased in positive health habits, particularly socialization, being more depressed at finals. The feedback and educational interventions influenced some sleep and exercise behaviors, but the groups did not differ in overall emotional or academic adjustment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  First-year medical students show significant changes in health habits as they adjust to medical school. An educational intervention demonstrated promising effects in changing these patterns, but self-care needs to be further elaborated to address the specific challenges associated with acute adjustment as well as with long-term stressors.
authors.affiliation: Psychology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, 46202, USA. suball@iupui.edu
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ball
authors.forename: Amy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bax
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D006184:Habits; D015438:Health Behavior; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015397:Program Evaluation; D011788:Quality of Life; D012648:Self Care; D013337:Students, Medical; D013997:Time Factors