Abstract:

Background: Exercise is also known as physical activity. In simple terms exercise is any movement that works your body at a greater intensity than your usual level of daily activity. Exercise raises your heart rate and works your muscles and is most commonly undertaken to achieve the aim of physical fitness. It offers major health benefits and counselling for it should be integrated into the medical consultation.

Objectives: To estimate the prevalence of physical activity habits among doctors in School of medicine / faculty of medical sciences . Also, to identify the reasons for engagement in physical exercise among the study population and the reasons for not engaging in physical activity. Besides that , to determine whether physicians in the study encourage their patients to be physically active through their advice and lifestyle , and whether they encourage to study sport medicine in medical colleges.

Method : A cross-sectional study was carried out among doctors who are in contact and lecturers of the school of medicine/faculty of medical sciences/university of sulaimani. The questionnaire were collected by visiting their hospitals , departments or branches from March 1^st till April 1^st and was a self-administered questionnaire and verbal consent was taken .The doctors absolutely voluntarily participated in the study, and obtained information was coded and anonymous. The data of this study was entered and analyzed by using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 21.0 software program .

Result : In this study the collected data are 91 , in which 64.8% are male and 25.2% are female , and age ranges 29 – 63 , with highest response between 35 – 44 age group , and BMI ranged from<18 to >30 with the highest response from over-weighted group, and among specialty the highest response were among surgeons.

The prevalence of physical activity assessed as 53.8% and with no significant associations between physical activity with age, gender, marital status and BMI but only specialty shows significant association of 80.8% of surgeons. There is close prevalence of physical activity between male and female of 52.5% and 56.25% respectively, and highest prevalence for age are among 45 and above, and normal and obese BMI groups are of highest in engaging in physical activities and overall 59.2% do exercise regularly. The most common motivator is improving health 38.8% , and most cited barriers are being busy with family (37.4%) and being too tired (35.2%).91.2% recommend studying sport medicine in medical colleges , and 97.7 counsel their patients for exercising.

Conclusion : Doctors shows good engagement in physical activities. Prevalence of exercise is not related to gender, age ,BMI, marital status but only associated with specialty. Male and female show close prevalence of engagement in physical activities. The regularity of exercise among doctors is not maintained as expected. Most doctors recommend studying Sport medicine in medical colleges. The most common motivator among doctors is improving health , and being busy with family and being tired are the most cited barrier . Being a doctor has affect in not participating in physical activities by many ways. Most doctors counsel their patients about exercise.

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