Public Health Cinema: Drivers of Medical Student Engagement in an Extracurricular Initiative

Background

Enhancing medical students’ engagement with public health topics remains a persistent challenge in medical education. The “Public Health Cinema” initiative is an extracurricular activity that integrates selected film screenings on public health issues with expert-led discussions to foster critical reflection and learning. This study assessed student satisfaction and identified factors associated with continued participation.

Methods

In 2026, we conducted a cross-sectional survey of 192 medical students who participated in the initiative, collecting sociodemographic and participation data. Motivation for attendance was categorized as intrinsic (interest in films, socializing, curiosity) or extrinsic (personal academic benefit). Satisfaction was measured across multiple domains with a five-item Likert scale and combined into a single composite score. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) for future attendance were calculated using univariable and multivariable logistic regression.

Results

Participants reported high satisfaction (mean composite score 4.51/5), with particularly high ratings for venue and speakers. Overall, 72.9% expressed intention to attend future screenings, while 97.9% supported continuation of the initiative. Intrinsic motivation was a strong driver of return intention (OR = 3.51, 95% CI 1.72–7.15). Higher overall satisfaction, measured as a composite score, was significantly associated with return intention (OR = 2.91, 95% CI 1.48–5.71) and with having preferences regarding the ideal time for the opening expert-led discussion (OR = 2.99, 95% CI 1.29–6.91).

Conclusions

Student engagement in the Public Health Cinema initiative is primarily driven by intrinsic motivation and overall satisfaction, reflecting key program design features. These findings highlight the importance of fostering active participation and optimizing event structure to support sustainability and strengthen student involvement in public health education.

Key messages

• Intrinsic motivation and positive experience are associated with sustained engagement of medical students in Public Health Cinema.

• Interactive extracurricular formats, such as Public Health Cinema, can strengthen student involvement and support long-term engagement with public health topics.