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A study to assess the quality of life of undergraduate medical students

Background and aims: Although the quality of life (QoL) of medical students is a relatively well-researched topic in the West, there is a dearth of it in developing countries like India. The aim of this study was to examine the QoL of Indian undergraduate medical students and its associations with sociodemographic and other parameters. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 349 medical students in Telangana, India. Students self-reported their QoL using the World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF) and the Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) tools. Data were collected on the individuals’ characteristics, including the year of study, substance use, physical exercise, academic performance, and other parameters. Results: Male students scored better than females in several SF-36 domains and the WHOQOL-BREF psychological domain; females performed better in the social relationships domain (P=0.006). Students in the second and third year had higher scores compared to first-year students. Smoking was negatively associated with the physical component score (P=0.027). Alcohol consumption was related with a higher score in the psychological domain (P=0.049). Living with parents led to higher scores on the environmental domain (P=0.001) and mental component (P=0.048), but a lower score on the psychological domain compared to those living in the hostel (P=0.017). Students with better academic performance had better scores on all domains. Conclusion: This study indicates that medical students in the first year and females, in particular, have a lower QoL. Medical schools need to formulate tailor-made policies and ensure better conditions for interns, incoming students and female students in particular.