Prevalence and Evaluation of the Health and Physical Activity of Paramedic Students in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: A Cross-sectional Study
Abdullah Alshibani, Khaled Alshammari, Abdullah Alabdali, Meshal Alharbi, Lana Alzamil, Maree Alanazi, Abdulrhman AlghmadiAbstract
BACKGROUND:
The paramedic profession requires a high level of physical fitness as patient and personal safety are directly related to physical preparedness. This study, therefore, aimed to assess health and physical activity among paramedic students in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
METHODS:
A cross-sectional survey was employed to collect demographic information along with health and physical activity information using the 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). Descriptive analysis and statistical significance using the
RESULTS:
A total of 88/102 (86.3%) participants completed the survey. Most participants were males (69.3%) and senior students (39.8%). Based on the SF-36, the participants were reported as having good emotional functioning (median score = 300, max. score = 300); however, many reported low energy and fatigue (median score = 200, max. score = 400). Based on the IPAQ, only 29.5% of the participants were reported as highly active. No significant differences were observed in the SF-36 total and the IPAQ-total metabolic equivalent-min/week when stratified by gender (
CONCLUSIONS:
The findings showed that undergraduate paramedics students complain of low energy levels and a lack of physical activity. This highlighted the need for educational institutions to better support health and fitness of the next generations of paramedics.