Table 4.
Comparing Control and Intervention Groups on Personal Health Habits Over the Course of Medical School
| Personal Health Habit | Freshman Orientation | Entry to Wards | Senior Year | Group Effect P Value | Group-time Interaction P Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Using Tobacco,1 % | |||||
| Females | .3 | .8 | |||
| Control | –2 | 28 | 23 | ||
| Intervention | 23 | 18 | 17 | ||
| Males | –3 | .05 | |||
| Control | –2 | 31 | 43 | ||
| Intervention | 36 | 29 | 22 | ||
| Binge drinking in the past month, % | .6 | .5 | |||
| Females | |||||
| Control | 21 | 33 | 23 | ||
| Intervention | 44 | 38 | 36 | ||
| Males | |||||
| Control | 50 | 55 | 51 | ||
| Intervention | 43 | 58 | 46 | ||
| Complying with CDC exercise recommendations,4 % | .2 | .2 | |||
| Control | –2 | 64 | 50 | ||
| Intervention | 76 | 71 | 66 | ||
| Eating > 4 servings of fruit and vegetables a day, % (median servings/day) | .003 | .6 | |||
| Control | –2 | 27 (3.0/day) | 21 (2.6/day) | ||
| Intervention | 39 (3.4/day) | 42 (3.3/day) | 39 (3.6/day) | ||
| “In order to effectively encourage patient adherence to a healthy lifestyle, a physician must adhere to one him/herself.” | .2 | ||||
| Control | |||||
| Strongly agree, % | 21 | 21 | 11 | ||
| Agree | 67 | 61 | 66 | ||
| Neutral/disagree/strongly disagree | 12 | 18 | 23 | ||
| Intervention | |||||
| Strongly agree, % | 35 | 16 | 9 | ||
| Agree | 47 | 54 | 56 | ||
| Neutral/disagree/strongly disagree | 19 | 30 | 35 |
1
Includes use of cigarettes, cigars, pipe, chewing tobacco, dip, or snuff;
2
Comparable data are unavailable for the control group at freshman orientation;
3
Significant interaction with time;
4
Exercising strenuously 3 or more times/week for at least 20 minutes each time, and/or exercising at moderate intensity at least 30 minutes, 5 or more times/week