Prescriptive medicine: the importance of preparing Canadian medical students to counsel patients toward physical activity.

BACKGROUND Physical activity (PA) is powerful for preventing and treating many chronic diseases. Physicians' own PA behaviors are correlated with their likelihood to counsel patients regarding PA. Medical students' PA-related attitudes and behaviors reflect what can be expected from our future physicians. METHODS A 27-item online survey was used to determine the percentage of Canadian medical students meeting the Canadian physical activity recommendations, and their self-reported perception of relevance and frequency of exercise counseling during patient encounters. We generated cross-tabulations with the independent covariates and our statistical comparison was based on the generalized estimating equation (GEE) algorithm to adjust for schools (clusters). RESULTS While 64% (969/1510) of medical students met the MVPA recommendation, only 25% discussed PA counseling with patients. Most (80% and 90%, respectfully) believed physicians should adhere to a healthy lifestyle to effectively encourage their patients to do so, and that their credibility increased if they stayed fit themselves. CONCLUSIONS Medical students are interested in and receptive to the importance of PA. However, not only is there improvement needed for the more than one-third of medical students who are insufficiently active themselves, but substantial change is needed regarding the vast majority of students' current counseling behaviors.