Rationale and Objectives
The aims of this study were to determine diagnostic radiology faculty members’ compliance with recommended health guidelines for physical activity, body weight, diet, and related health indicators and to compare faculty members’ compliance with that of radiology residents.
Materials and Methods
A request to complete an online health survey was electronically sent to members of the Association of University Radiologists in September 2008. Results were compared to those from a similar survey completed by radiology residents in May and June 2007. Frequency counts and Fisher’s exact tests were used to summarize results and to determine statistically significant relationships.
Results
The sample consisted of 193 of 801 members of the Association of University Radiologists (24%). A greater percentage of faculty members than residents complied with recommendations for physical activity (52% vs 37%, P < .001) and the consumption of vegetables (67% vs 52%, P < .001), saturated fat (51% vs 37%, P < .001), and sodium (53% vs 37%, P < .001). A greater percentage of faculty members felt that they got enough sleep (51% vs 38%, P = .002) and did not think about stress on most days (39% vs 26%, P = .001). Most faculty members (59%) worked 51 to 60 hours a week, whereas most residents (59%) worked >60 hours, and greater work hours were correlated with less resident physical activity ( P = .017). More female than male faculty members (78% vs 57%, P = .010) and residents (83% vs 62%, P < .001) had body mass indexes < 25 kg/m 2 .
Conclusion
A substantial percentage of faculty members were out of compliance with federal health guidelines, although less so than residents in many categories. Comments from both groups suggest a possible benefit from modifications to the work environment.
A previous study showed that a substantial number of residents were out of compliance with federal guidelines for physical activity and diet and were not knowledgeable about their personal dietary intake. It also showed that long work hours (>60 hours a week) were significantly correlated with less physical activity. The authors suggested that radiology programs might be able to influence residents’ health practices by modifying work hours and the working environment, encouraging healthy dietary intake and physical activity, and instituting campaigns to inform residents and faculty members about health guidelines and available wellness programs. The authors also made the point that radiology faculty members serve as role models to residents, potentially influencing the choices trainees make regarding their health. The purposes of this study were to determine radiology faculty members’ compliance with recommended health guidelines for physical activity, body weight, diet, and related health indicators and to compare the results with those of radiology residents.
Materials and methods
A previously published online survey composed of 58 forced-choice items and one open-ended question was slightly modified to be relevant to radiology faculty members. Items were related to demographics (age and gender), engagement in physical activity, diet, body mass index (BMI), cholesterol level, blood pressure, hours of sleep, work hours, work-related stress, the availability of workplace wellness programs, and work-related injuries (ie, ergonomic-related injuries). The items related to age and professional status were modified from the original survey.
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Results
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Physical Activity
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Table 1
Physical Activity of Radiology Faculty Members and Residents
Faculty Members Residents Item Agree Disagree Don’t know (or missing) Agree Disagree Don’t know (or missing)P In past 4 wk, engaged in >30 min physical activity on most days 100 (52%) 93 (48%) 0 (0%) 303 (37%) 507 (63%) 3 (0%) <.001 Engaged in cardiovascular conditioning 112 (58%) 75 (39%) 6 (3%) 414 (51%) 390 (48%) 9 (1%) .013 Engaged in stretching exercises 86 (45%) 105 (54%) 2 (1%) 289 (36%) 513 (63%) 11 (1%) .067 Engaged in resistance exercises 80 (41%) 109 (57%) 4 (2%) 302 (37%) 495 (61%) 16 (2%) .498 Belonged to gym or fitness center 84 (44%) 108 (56%) 1 ∗ 454 (56%) 353 (44%) 6 ∗ .002
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Table 2
Faculty Members’ and Residents’ Reasons for Not Engaging in Recommended Physical Activity
Reason Faculty members Residents_P_ Not enough time 76 (82%) 456 (89%) .052 No self-motivation 45 (48%) 220 (43%) .365 Not enjoyable 22 (24%) 52 (10%) <.001 Inconvenient 31 (33%) 146 (29%) .387 Boring 18 (19%) 47 (9%) .006 No confidence 1 (1%) 8 (2%) <1.000 Fear of injury 8 (9%) 21 (4%) .108 No self-management skills 7 (8%) 48 (9%) .696 No encouragement 10 (11%) 42 (8%) .423 No parks, sidewalks 6 (6%) 39 (8%) .832 Not aware of guidelines 0 (0%) 3 (1%) <1.000 Physical limitations 1 (1%) 10 (2%) <1.000
Percentages reflect those respondents who answered “agree” to the item and relate to 93 faculty members and 510 residents.
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Diet and Nutrition
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Table 3
Faculty Members’ and Residents’ Compliance with US Department of Agriculture Dietary Guidelines
Faculty members Residents Item Agree Disagree Don’t know (or missing) Agree Disagree Don’t know (or missing)P Ate >2 cups fruit/d 96 (50%) 91 (47%) 6 (3%) 347 (43%) 427 (52%) 39 (5%) .175 Ate >2.5 cups vegetables/d 129 (67%) 61 (32%) 3 (1%) 421 (52%) 341 (42%) 51 (6%) <.001 Consumed <10% calories from saturated fatty acids 99 (51%) 34 (18%) 60 (31%) 303 (37%) 281 (35%) 229 (28%) <.001 Consumed <300 mg/d cholesterol 82 (43%) 20 (10%) 91 (47%) 345 (42%) 138 (17%) 330 (41%) .046 Kept trans fatty acid consumption as low as possible 132 (69%) 12 (6%) 49 (25%) 466 (57%) 134 (17%) 213 (26%) <.001 Kept daily fat intake between 20% and 35% of calories 102 (53%) 23 (12%) 68 (35%) 388 (48%) 140 (17%) 285 (35%) .166 Consumed <2,300 mg sodium/d 103 (53%) 23 (12%) 67 (35%) 297 (37%) 191 (23%) 325 (40%) <.001 Consumed <1 (women) or <2 (men) alcoholic drinks/d 168 (87%) 18 (9%) 7 (4%) 731 (90%) 59 (7%) 23 (3%) .456 Consumed >3-oz equivalents of whole-grain products/d 117 (60%) 38 (20%) 38 (20%) 446 (55%) 205 (25%) 162 (20%) .236 Consumed 3 cups fat-free or low-fat dairy products/d 56 (29%) 121 (63%) 16 (8%) 329 (41%) 410 (50%) 74 (9%) .007
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Clinical Data
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Table 4
Faculty Members’ and Residents’ Hours of Sleep
Faculty members Residents Item Agree Disagree Don’t know (or missing) Agree Disagree Don’t know (or missing)P Got enough sleep on most nights to allow them to function at their best 99 (51%) 92 (48%) 2 (1%) 309 (38%) 482 (59%) 22 (3%) .002 On average, slept <6 h per night 94 (49%) 98 ∗ (51%) 1 † 414 (51%) 393 ∗ (49%) 6 † .575
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Table 5
Faculty Members’ and Residents’ Compliance with Recommendations for Blood Pressure, Blood Cholesterol, and Blood High Density Lipoprotein
Faculty members Residents Item Agree Disagree Don’t know (or missing) Agree Disagree Don’t know (or missing)P Blood pressure in past year ≤120/80 mm Hg 146 (75%) 34 (18%) 13 (7%) 589 (72%) 120 (15%) 104 (13%) .042 Blood total cholesterol in past year <200 mg/dL 121 (63%) 41 (21%) 31 (16%) 444 (55%) 83 (10%) 286 (35%) <.001 Blood high-density lipoprotein >40 mg/dL 117 (61%) 26 (13%) 50 (26%) 381 (47%) 101 (12%) 331 (41%) <.001
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Work Hours
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Table 6
Number of Hours Faculty Members and Residents Worked in Past 4 Weeks
Faculty members Residents <40 41–50 51–60 >60 Don’t know (or missing) <40 41–50 51–60 >60 Don’t know (or missing)P 15 (11%) 0 (0%) 78 (59%) 39 (30%) 61 ∗ 16 (2%) 0 (0%) 278 (39%) 427 (59%) 92 ∗ <.001
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Personal Illness
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Table 7
Programs Faculty Members and Residents Would Use if Offered Free of Charge at Their Places of Work
Faculty members Residents Program Agree Disagree Don’t know (or missing) Agree Disagree Don’t know (or missing)P Blood pressure and/or cholesterol screening 87 (45%) 106 (55%) 0 533 (66%) 280 (34%) 0 <.001 Personal nutritional assessment by a dietician 65 (34%) 128 (66%) 0 344 (42%) 469 (58%) 0 .028 Stress management 60 (31%) 133 (69%) 0 270 (33%) 543 (67%) 0 .609 Immunizations 115 (60%) 78 (40%) 0 580 (71%) 233 (29%) 0 .002 Ergonomic consultation 83 (43%) 110 (57%) 0 385 (47%) 428 (53%) 0 .297 Personal counseling 24 (12%) 169 (88%) 0 175 (22%) 638 (78%) 0 .004
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Comments
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Table 8
Summary of Faculty Members’ Comments
Impediments to a healthy lifestyle ( n = 41) Solutions implemented by respondents ( n = 17) Solutions recommended by respondents ( n = 23) Time
Exercise facilities
Ergonomics
Workload/stress
Employer values
Personal values
Diet
Sleep
JCAHO , Joint Commission; PACS , picture archiving and communication system.
The total number of comments was 81. Similar comments were grouped. Therefore, the number of comments in the table is less than the total number of comments.
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Relationships Between Variables
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Discussion
Physical Activity
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Diet and Nutrition
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Clinical Data
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Workplace Intervention
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Summary
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References
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