Objective and Subjective Investigation of Physical Activity Levels and Its Relation with Socio-Demographic Characteristics among Medical Students

BACKGROUND: Combining the results of objective and subjective assessments of physical activity (PA) can provide a more complete assessment of PA patterns in medical students. This study aimed to determine the relationships between objective and subjective measured PA and its relation with socio-demographic characteristics among different stages of medical training. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 186 students of four stages of medical training. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire Short-Form (IPAQ-SF) and pedometer were used. RESULTS: There were significant differences in total PA in terms of gender, weight, and serious illness. Differences between four stages of medical training in total (p = 0.002), vigorous (p < 0.001), and moderate PA (0.026) based on IPAQ-SF as well as pedometer-counted steps in Tuesday (p = 0.002) and Wednesday (p = 0.006) were significant. The results demonstrated a positive significant relationship between total PA based on IPAQ-SF and pedometer-determined steps in four days of the week. CONCLUSION: There were positive low correlations between PA based on IPAQ-SF and pedometer among medical students. The PA of medical students at different years of medical training was different based on both IPAQ-SF and pedometer, which shows the need to pay attention to the special needs of students in terms of PA at each stage.