https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3728-812X
![Sample our Health and Social Care journals, sign in here to start your FREE access for 14 days]({"type":"image" , "src" : "/sda/5938/TOC-Subject-Sample-2021-Health-Social-Care.jpg"})
ABSTRACT
Rates of mental illness among Canadian medical students are higher than age-, gender-, and education-matched peers. One predictor of mental health is physical activity; though the relationship between different intensities of physical activity and mental health has not been investigated in medical students. The purpose of this study was to examine relationships between physical activity and mental health profiles in a sample of Canadian medical students. A total of N = 125 students completed an online survey. Latent profile analysis was performed to identify distinct profiles using four continuous latent profile indicators (emotional well-being, social well-being, psychological well-being,resilience). Three mental health profiles emerged, showing low (n = 18), moderate (n = 72) and high (n = 36) self-reported ratings of mental health. The classification quality was good (entropy = 0.81). Individuals in the high mental health profile engaged in more mild physical activity (M = 144.28 mins/week; SD = 22.12) and less moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (M = 195.86 mins/week; SD = 25.67) compared to students in the moderate and low profiles, though not significantly. This suggests that mild physical activity might be the most effective intensity in supporting mental health among medical students, though further research is recommended.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Notes
1. Mental health: a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his/her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to contribute to his or her community (World Health Organization, Citation2004). In line with this definition, the concept of mental health is operationalized in this study by subjective well-being (i.e. emotional, psychological and social well-being; C. L. Keyes, Citation2010) and resilience (i.e. personal qualities that enable one to thrive in the face of adversity; Connor & Davidson, Citation2003). These three facets of well-being and resilience are frequently used in research as indicators of mental health, including studies involving medical professionals (e.g. Lamers et al., Citation2011; Maser & Houlton, Citation2017; McLuckie et al., Citation2018; Neufeld & Malin, Citation2019).