The lifestyle factors of medical doctors in academic hospitals, Bloemfontein, Free State.

Background:  Lifestyle factors of medical doctors are essential to their health and well-being. Previous studies omitted factors that constituted a healthy lifestyle and did not differentiate between various medical specialties or level of seniority which may expose doctors to different stress levels, workload and responsibility. The study assessed the lifestyle factors of medical doctors and compared them between departments, levels of seniority, years of experience and gender according to globally recognised health standards.

Methods:  This descriptive cross-sectional study collected data using a questionnaire created by the researchers based on healthy lifestyle factors and was administered online. Access was given to all doctors from four large departments, employed at two academic hospitals in Bloemfontein, Free State who agreed to participate in the study.

Results:  Consultants from paediatrics, with 6+ years in medical practice, had the healthiest lifestyles. Registrars and interns from surgical disciplines such as obstetrics and gynaecology and surgery, with 1-5 years of medical practice, showed unhealthy lifestyles with inadequate sleep and exercise.

Conclusion:  The challenge remains how medical doctors can live a healthy lifestyle while managing a demanding schedule. This may impact on the management of their patients and the doctors' overall health and well-being. We recommend improving the working conditions by providing healthy meals on-site at hospitals with adequate breaks, reducing the heavy workload and providing exercise facilities.Contribution: The findings from this article may help improve the lifestyles of the identified groups of at-risk doctors and assist them in seeking ways to improve upon this.