title: Producing financially literate medical graduates -- a national need for a brighter Pakistan.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the awareness of financial wellness between male and female medical students.
  
  
  METHODS
  The cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey was conducted from February to December 2011 and comprised first year medical students belonging to different medical colleges of Karachi. Students from both genders, aged 19-24 years, belonging to all ethnic groups willing to participate were included. A close-ended questionnaire evaluated aspects of financial wellness, using four-point Likert's scale: never, sometimes, mostly, and always from 0 to 4. Besides, factor analysis was performed to investigate common financial wellness among the participants.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the total 800 students approached, complete responses were received from 736(92%); 210(28.5%) boys and 526(71.5%) girls. The mean financial wellness score of boys was 8.60±3.04 and that of the girls was 7.61±3.12 (p<0.0005). Greater number of boys 93(44%) set both short- and long-term financial goals compared to 180(36%) girls (p=0.03). Besides, 218(42%) girls confined themselves to the budget compared to 81(39%) boys (p>0.05). More boys 71(34%) were spendthrift (p<0.0001) and 57(27%) preferred to keep their savings in bank accounts compared to the girls (p<0.0001). Overall, boys were better in financial security wellness compared to the girls (p=0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Male medical students exhibited awareness of financial wellness better than girls.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Aga Khan University, Karachi.
authors.forename: Rehana
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rehman
authors.affiliation: Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery & Dental Educationists, Institute of Dentistry, Liaquat University of Medical & Health Sciences, Jamshoro.
authors.forename: Shah Jahan
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Katpar
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi.
authors.forename: Mehwish
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hussain
authors.affiliation: Public Health Physician, Karachi.
authors.forename: Rakhshaan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Khan
mesh_terms: D000067012:Banking, Personal; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005376:Financial Management; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010154:Pakistan; D012737:Sex Factors; D013337:Students, Medical; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Financial wellness, Financial literacy, Wellness wheel, Medical students, Pakistan.