Suboptimal Health Status and Stress: An Observational Study on Medical Students in Islamabad, Pakistan

Abstract

Objective: This study was conducted to find the frequency of suboptimal health and its association with
perceived stress levels among medical students at a private university medical college in Islamabad, Pakistan.
Study Design: Descriptive cross-sectional study.
Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted at the Department of Community Medicine,
Foundation University Medical College Islamabad, Pakistan over a period of 6 months from February 2024 to
July 2024.
Methods: A total of 210 medical students were randomly selected. They were asked to fill in questionnaires.
Data on demographic profile, Suboptimal health status using (SHSQ-25) tool, and stress using the perceived
stress scale (PSS-10) were obtained. SPSS version 20 was used to enter and analyze the data.
Results: The frequency of sub-optimal health status was (50%, 105/210). The majority of students (80.0%) had
moderate levels of perceived stress. Mostly females (82.4%) and day scholars (85.2%) reported moderate levels
of stress. A weak positive correlation between SHS and stress was found. (P<0.005). The hostelites were twice
as likely to have suboptimal health status as compared to day scholars (OR 2.040, CI= 1.157- 3.598). However,
males have no more odds of suffering from SHS as compared to females (OR =1.393, CI=0.788-2.463).
Conclusion: Suboptimal health status was frequently found among medical students in the study sample.
Suboptimal health status and perceived stress have a statistically significant relationship.

How to cite this: Iqbal M, Masood S, Arshad M, Eman M, Ali S, Ramzan M, Shafique O, Ahmad AY, Nauman A, Azam N. Suboptimal Health Status and Stress: An Observational Study On Medical Students in Islamabad, Pakistan. Life and Science. 2024; 5(4): 439-445. doi: http://doi.org/10.37185/LnS.1.1.470