Physical exercise among radiologists in Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: The practice of clinical radiology has become more sedentary in the era of the Picture Archiving and Communication System. Physical inactivity is a well-known risk factor for various chronic diseases. This study aimed to determine the frequency and pattern of physical exercises among radiologists in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia and the association between physical exercises and the prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal symptoms. METHODS: An online survey was sent to radiologists in all hospitals (academic, public, and private) in the major cities of the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. It covered information about demographic characteristics and the frequency and pattern of physical exercises. It also included an evaluation of work-related musculoskeletal symptoms using the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire. This survey of 263 radiologists was conducted in April 2019. The study outcome was the presence of disabling musculoskeletal symptoms in any body region which restricted the performance of normal activities within the last 12 months. The study results were analyzed descriptively using the Chi-square test. RESULTS: The survey was completed by 198 participants (111 men and 87 women) with a response rate of 75.3%. Most participants (71.2%) were less than 40 years. Eighty-three men (74.8%) did a physical exercise at least weekly, compared to 45 (51.7%) women. Men were more likely to engage in various physical exercises than women. Overall, 60.9% of participants who did not do any physical exercise regularly (less than monthly) reported having disabling neck pain. This figure was found lower among participants who did physical exercises monthly (45.8%) or at least weekly (32.8%). A similar pattern was observed with shoulder pain, with 45.7% found in participants who did not exercise and only 25.8% in those engaging in physical activities at least weekly. CONCLUSIONS: Physical inactivity is common among radiologists, especially female ones, in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. The physical inactivity was significantly associated with work-related musculoskeletal symptoms. Gender-specific health promotion programs are needed to mitigate the negative health outcomes due to the sedentary nature of the radiology current practice.