HABITUAL PHYSICAL ACTIVITY OF MEDICAL STUDENTS

Firm scientific evidence indicate higher incidence of many diseases in physically inactive or rarely active people. The aim of this paper was to determine the level of physical activity in medical students of the University of Zagreb, the differences between male and female students and between higher and lower year students. The sample contained 312 students, 117 males and 195 females, who accomplished the Baecke's questionnaire. The obtained data were analyzed by standard statistical procedures. Basic descriptive statistical parameters were calculated and the significance between groups was checked by ttest. The research didn't show any significant variation between medical students and the average Croatian population but it established that almost half of them are not engaged in any kind of sports. It is hard to expect that physically inactive students, future doctors, can achieve qualitative promotion of physical activity which is inevitable in the modern world and that is the precise reason why it is necessary to emphasize the meaning of physical activity in the education of medical students.