Burnout and physical activity in medical students

Abstract

Burnout is associated with increased levels of stress and lower productivity; however, it is unclear what factors contribute to its development. This study aims to quantify levels of burnout in UCC medical students and to investigate whether physical activity levels are associated with burnout in medical students. Medical students (n=383) at University College Cork were surveyed and the collected data analysed. On the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Student Survey (MBI-SS), 44.8% of students reported high levels of Emotional Exhaustion (EE), 25.6% reported high levels of Cynicism (CY), and 51.2% reported low levels of Professional Efficacy (PE). On the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), 53.2% of respondents were found to engage in Health-Enhancing Physical Activity (HEFA-active). Gender, year group and nationality group appear to be associated with the prevalence of burnout and physical activity levels. Higher levels of physical activity are associated with higher professional efficacy but this relationship requires further research.