SynthesisThe clinical teacher2022
Physical activity, burnout and quality of life in medical students: A systematic review.
Synthesis in The clinical teacher, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 47 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
47 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 81 citations in OpenAlex.
- [Psychotherapeutic burnout interventions-an umbrella review].Bundesgesundheitsblatt, Gesundheitsforschung, Gesundheitsschutz · 2024Pooled it
- Physical activity, burnout and quality of life in medical students: A systematic review.The clinical teacher · 2022Pooled it
- Multivariable analysis of health-related quality of life determinants among medical students at a Single Syrian University in a conflict-affected setting: a cross-sectional study using the Arabic SF-36.BMC medical education · 2026Article
- Physical activity and IgG N-glycosylation in medical students: a cross-sectional study.Croatian medical journal · 2026Article
- Financial precarity and mental health among French health students: a nationwide cross-sectional study.BMJ open · 2026Article
- Enhancing resilience in pre-clinical health science students in Thailand: the impact of sports activity and social support.Preventive medicine reports · 2026Article
- Nationwide assessment of burnout among medical undergraduates in Saudi Arabia using the Maslach Burnout Inventory.BMC medical education · 2026Article
- Psychological consequences of insufficient sleep in medical students.Discover mental health · 2026Article
- Changes in Mental Well-Being, Lifestyle Behaviors, and Medication Use Before and During Medical School.Cureus · 2026Article
- Identifying vulnerable groups in academic burnout among higher education students: lifestyle and sociodemographic characteristic.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Occupational burnout and depression among emergency medical service providers in Switzerland and Liechtenstein: a cross-sectional nationwide web-based study.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Physical exercise and academic performance among students in the medical field at Jordanian Universities.PloS one · 2026Article
- Medical interns and health challenges: insights into physical inactivity, sleep disruption, and body metrics.Frontiers in health services · 2026Article
- Emotion regulation as a mediator between stress and burnout in dental postgraduate students: a South China cross-sectional study.BMC medical education · 2025Article
- Exploring mental well-being among medical students in the Visegrad four: a cross-national analysis.BMC medical education · 2025Article
- Analyzing Global Research Trends on Medical Resident Burnout and Physical Activity: A Bibliometric Analysis (2005-2025).Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Burnout and quality of life among medical students in a conflict affected-region: a cross-sectional study.BMC medical education · 2025Article
- How Medical Students Manage Depression, Anxiety, and Stress: A Cross-Sectional Study.JMIR formative research · 2025Article
- Is Team-Based Learning Effective for the Medical Student in Difficulty?Medical science educator · 2025Article
- Addressing medical students' health challenges: codesign and pilot testing of the Preventive Remediation for Optimal MEdical StudentS (PROMESS) program.BMC medical education · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundMedical students are at risk of burnout and reduced quality of life (QoL). The risk of burnout doubles from third to sixth year of medical school, and medical students have an 8%-11% lower QoL than nonmedical students. It is imperative to prevent this, as burnout and reduced QoL is independently associated with errors in practice. This systematic review aims to examine whether physical activity/exercise is associated with burnout and/or QoL in medical students.
methodsArticles were identified through database searches of Embase, Medline, PsycINFO, Scopus and Web of Science. Studies were included if both physical activity/exercise and burnout or QoL were measured and limited to those focussing on medical students. Risk of bias was assessed using accredited cohort and cross-sectional checklists. A narrative synthesis was conducted due to heterogeneity in the dataset.
findingsEighteen studies were included, comprising 11,500 medical students across 13 countries. Physical activity was negatively associated with burnout and positively associated with QoL. Furthermore, the findings were suggestive of a dose-response effect of physical activity on both burnout and QoL; higher intensities and frequencies precipitated greater improvements in outcomes.
conclusionsThis multinational review demonstrates that physical activity is associated with reduced burnout and improved QoL in medical students. It also identifies a paucity of research into the optimal intensity, frequency, volume and mode of physical activity. Further research, building on this review, is likely to inform the long overdue development of evidence-based, well-being curricula. This could involve incorporating physical activity into medical education which may improve well-being and better prepare students for the demands of medical practice.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.