ArticleFrontiers in medicine2026
The impact of career planning on health behaviors in medical students: a mixed methods study.
Article in Frontiers in medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Abstract
Aims: Career planning, life satisfaction, and health behaviors are key factors in the physical and psychological development of medical students. However, the complex interrelationship among these factors remains unclear. We aimed to explore the intrinsic relationship between career planning, life satisfaction, and health behaviors in Chinese medical students, and to analyze the mediating role of life satisfaction. Methods: This study employs a mixed-methods design, collecting data through a cross-sectional study. The sample consists of university students aged 18 to 24 from universities in Eastern, Central, and Western China. Semi-structured interviews further explored the interaction among these factors. Life satisfaction was measured with the SWLS scale, career planning with the CPPS scale, and health behaviors with the HPLP-II scale. Results: A total of 3,335 medical students from 34 universities across 14 provinces in China were included in the study, including 1,408 nursing students, 1,280 pharmacy students, 600 clinical medical students, 47 students in other medical disciplines. The scores for health behaviors, life satisfaction, and career planning were 61.48 ± 15.05, 22.90 ± 6.57, and 50.28 ± 12.76, respectively, all showing significant positive correlations. Medical students generally faced significant academic pressure, particularly from academic performance and employment prospects. Additionally, 77.5% of students planned for graduate school or postgraduate studies, while 52.9% considered their current major not their intended career field. Path analysis revealed that the various dimensions of career awareness and planning significantly influenced health behaviors both directly and indirectly, with life satisfaction serving as a partial mediator between career planning and health behaviors. Qualitative results validated the five dimensions of career awareness and planning, emphasizing the importance of information gathering, self-awareness, career preparation, and social support. Life satisfaction and health behaviors were found to be closely linked with career planning, with adaptability and planning clarity playing a critical role in life satisfaction and health behaviors. Conclusion: Chinese medical students often lack career planning guidance, which affects their health behaviors. Career awareness can improve health through increased life satisfaction. Collaboration among individuals, families, universities, and authorities is needed to support students' career development and well-being.
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