Evaluation of Potential Factors Affecting the Academic Performance of Medical Students

In our cross-sectional study we intended to identify statistically significant differences between medical student groups of different academic performance, regarding a series of selected variables with emphasis on everyday habits such as dietary, exercise and sleep patterns.

Questionnaires were distributed to medical students of the first 3 classes of our institution and were filled in anonymously. Subsequently, 91 male and 55 female students (146 students in total) were enrolled in our study. The questionnaire's format included questions regarding their dietary habits, exercise, sleeping and studying pattern. Moreover, EAT-26 and OCI-R self-reporting questionnaires were simultaneously administered. Average performance group included 68% of total student population. High and low academic performance group included 16% of student population, respectively.

BMI was statistically significantly lower in the average (23.08 kg/m² ±2.03, p=0.031) and high academic performance group (22.77 kg/m² ± 2.16, p= 0.026) compared to the low academic performance group (24.19 kg/m² ±2.06). Also, 49% and 8% of medical students were at risk for the presence of obsessive compulsive and eating disorders, respectively.

Results from our study suggest that BMI may affect the academic performance of medical students. Dietary habits did not correlate with academic performance.