Prevalence of medical students’ burnout and its associated demographics and lifestyle factors in Hong Kong

BACKGROUND: Burnout causes personal suffering and adverse professional consequences. It is prevalent among medical students, although the relationship between burnout and lifestyle factors are understudied in Chinese medical students. Thus, this study aims to (i) estimate the prevalence of burnout among medical students in Hong Kong (HK) and (ii) delineate the relationship between burnout and various lifestyle factors. METHOD: 1,341 students were invited to complete a questionnaire from September to December 2017. Burnout was measured by the Maslach Burnout Inventory. Lifestyle factors including drinking habit, sleep habit and quality, and exercise level were assessed by validated instruments, including Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT-C), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and Godin-Shephard Leisure-Time Physical Activity (GSLTPA), respectively. Smoking status and use of self-medications were also inquired into, while demographic data was self-reported. Prevalence of burnout with confidence intervals was calculated. Difference in lifestyle and demographic data in students with or without burnout, were compared by t-test and Chi-square/Fisher’s exact test. From this, all associations with significant p-value at p<0.1 were entered into the multiple logistic regression model. RESULTS: 731 students (55.6%) responded to the questionnaire. Prevalence of burnout was 27.9% (95%CI: 24.6%-31.5%). Only 3 students in the whole sample smoked; and 6.6% of students drank weekly but rarely drank more than 2 drinks per week. 6.3% and 2.3% self-medicated themselves with medications to improve their sleep and concentration, respectively. Using a multiple logistic regression model, only sleep quality and exercise level were significantly associated with the presence of burnout. CONCLUSION: Around a quarter of medical students in HK suffered from burnout. Burnout was found to be significantly associated with sleep quality and physical exercise. The study also highlighted that HK medical students lived very different lifestyles from those from other countries. More research is needed to design and establish the effectiveness of lifestyle interventional programs that enhance exercise level and sleep quality.