Physical fitness of medical residents: Is the health of surgical residents at risk?

BACKGROUND: Postgraduate medical residency programs are laborious and time-intensive, and can be physically, intellectually and emotionally demanding. These working conditions may lead to the neglect of personal health and well-being. The objective of this study was to compare the anthropometric and fitness characteristics of surgical and nonsurgical medical residents. We hypothesized that there is a difference in physical health between these 2 groups.

METHODS: Medical residents completed a demographic information questionnaire and were assessed by trained staff for height, weight, body fat percentage, muscular strength and endurance, and peak oxygen consumption (V̇ᴏ2peak ). The average number of working hours per week was also documented.

RESULTS: Forty-five residents (21 surgical and 24 nonsurgical; 31 men and 14 women) participated in the study. Surgical residents worked more hours per week on average than nonsurgical residents ( p = 0.02) and had a higher body mass index (BMI) ( p = 0.04) and lower V̇ᴏ2peak ( p = 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS: Surgical residents worked more hours than nonsurgical residents, which may have contributed to their higher BMI and lower aerobic fitness levels. Despite a heavy workload, it is important for all medical residents to find strategies to promote a healthy lifestyle for both themselves and their patients to ensure long-term well-being.