Embedding physical activity into the undergraduate curricula of a Portuguese medical school

BACKGROUND: One of the strategies endorsed by the World Health Organization and the European Commission to promote physical activity (PA) is to incorporate PA content into the curricula of healthcare professionals. OBJECTIVES: As part of the VANGUARD project (supported by the European Union Erasmus+ Programme), we aimed to analyse the acceptability of a course on PA and health among undergraduate medical students. The School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences of the University of Porto (ICBAS) was invited to participate. An online survey was administered in June-July 2022 to solicit the input of the students regarding the importance and the operational procedures of implementing a PA and health course into their curricula. RESULTS: A total of 77 students answered the survey (median age of 21.0 years [interquartile range, P25-P75, 20-24], 75.3% female). Students rated the importance of incorporating PA content in their medical degree program with a median (P25-P75) of 5 (4-5) on a scale of 1 to 5. Most students expressed an interest in PA and mental health (88.3%), cancer (75.3%), cardiovascular disease (75.3%), diabetes (68.8%), and pregnancy (68.8%). In terms of the operational aspects, students expressed their preference for a course offered in the second year (33.8%); as part of the epidemiology and public health discipline (27.3%); optional (58.4%); through a hybrid learning system (49.4% [face-to-face activities + online live sessions + online self-paced learning]); taught in Portuguese (66.2%); with face-to-face assessments (55.8%); with continuous evaluation (77.9%); and using quantitative grading (62.3%). CONCLUSIONS: Medical students showed considerable acknowledgement regarding the importance of incorporating PA and health into their curricula. Additionally, they provided guidance on developing and implementing a course on this topic. A course is going to be offered to the students and proposed to the Council of Portuguese Medical Schools to be scaled up nationally. KEY MESSAGES: • Medical students considered PA and health as a very important topic for curricula. • Medical students have specific preferences for embedding new courses in their curricula.