Impact of a preventive medicine and nutrition curriculum for medical students

United States public health goals call for increased physician counseling about diet and exercise, but many medical schools lack adequate curriculum on these topics. At Harvard Medical School, second-year students take a preventive medicine and nutrition (PMN) course. This study evaluated the impact...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:American journal of preventive medicine 2004-07, Vol.27 (1), p.77-80
Main Authors: Conroy, Molly B, Delichatsios, Helen K, Hafler, Janet P, Rigotti, Nancy A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Counseling
Curriculum
Education, Medical, Undergraduate
Female
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
Humans
Male
Massachusetts
Nutritional Sciences - education
Physician-Patient Relations
Preventive Medicine - education
Program Evaluation
Students, Medical - psychology
Surveys and Questionnaires
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Summary:United States public health goals call for increased physician counseling about diet and exercise, but many medical schools lack adequate curriculum on these topics. At Harvard Medical School, second-year students take a preventive medicine and nutrition (PMN) course. This study evaluated the impact of this innovative curriculum on students' confidence about addressing patients' diet and exercise patterns and on their own health habits. Students enrolled in the 2003 PMN course (N =137) completed a confidential 43-item written survey before and after the course. Surveys were completed by 134 students (98%) and 118 students (86%), respectively. The survey assessed students' diet and exercise habits and students' confidence in their ability to address diet and exercise with patients and family members. Students' confidence in their ability to assess and counsel about diet and exercise significantly improved after the course (all p
ISSN:0749-3797
1873-2607
DOI:10.1016/j.amepre.2004.03.009