Table 3. The perceived barriers of all medical students towards participation in extracurricular activities (EA), N=237.
| Barriers for participating in EAs | All respondents* | Male (n=113) Mean ± SD | Female (n=124) Mean ± SD | p value** | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Disagree n (%) | Neutral n (%) | Agree n (%) | Mean ± SD | ||||
| Participation in EAs affects academic performance | 56 (23.6) | 116 (48.9) | 65 (27.4) | 3.0 ± 0.8 | 2.8 ± 0.8 | 3.2 ± 0.8 | 0.0466† |
| No emphasis of EAs in curriculum | 32 (13.5) | 80 (33.8) | 125 (52.7) | 3.5 ± 1.0 | 3.6 ± 1.1 | 3.5 ± 1.0 | NS |
| No appreciation of participation in EAs | 86 (36.3) | 78 (32.9) | 73 (30.8) | 2.9 ± 1.2 | 2.9 ± 1.2 | 2.9 ± 1.2 | NS |
| Participation in EAs is stressful | 72 (30.4) | 86 (36.3) | 79 (33.3) | 3.1 ± 1.1 | 3.1 ± 1.1 | 3.0 ± 1.1 | NS |
| Lack of time | 17 (7.2) | 75 (31.6) | 145 (61.2) | 3.8 ± 0.9 | 3.8 ± 0.9 | 3.8 ± 0.9 | NS |
| Lack of equal opportunities in EAs | 38 (16.0) | 62 (26.2) | 137 (57.8) | 3.7 ± 1.2 | 3.5 ± 1.2 | 3.8 ± 1.2 | NS |
*5-point Likert scale: 1= strongly disagree, 2= disagree, 3= neutral, 4= agree, 5= strongly agree
**A two-tailed Mann-Whitney U-test was used to compare the mean 5-point Likert scale responses between male and female students
†Statistical significance, p<0.05