Follow-Up Study of Torabi et al. A Cross-Sectional Survey on the Inclusion of Tobacco Prevention/ Cessation, Nutrition/Diet, and Exercise Physiology/ Fitness Education in Medical School Curricula

Currently in the United States chronic diseases are the leading cause of death and disability. Physicians of today possess the greatest opportunity to impact the long-term health of their patients through preventative medicine. Despite the transition from infectious diseases to chronic conditions, many physicians today are inadequately prepared to practice preventative medicine. In addition, medical schools are largely failing to adjust curriculum to best address this disease transition. The purpose of this study is to provide a follow up report of an article published by Mohammad R. Torabi, PhD; Ran Tao, MPH; Stephen J. Jay, MD; and Courtney Olcott, MS, through a literature review of the inclusion of tobacco prevention/ cessation, nutrition/diet, and exercise physiology/fitness education in medical school curricula from 2011 to present day [1]. The previous article found that the areas of tobacco prevention/cessation, nutrition/diet, and exercise physiology/fitness received the least amount of attention in medical school’s curriculum despite many students feeling that these topics hold direct relevance to their learning, and offered recommendations in an attempt to address this gap in education. Results of the current study found that since 2011 there is little evidence of medical schools adopting the recommendations made by the previous article. The literature review also provided evidence that education pertaining to tobacco prevention/ cessation and nutrition/diet remains limited while education of exercise physiology/fitness has shown a slight increase. Results of this study indicate that gaps in medical school curriculum are still prevalent, and further research should assess the prevalence of education of these topic areas and the strategies medical schools are utilizing to best prepare students to practice preventative medicine to best address chronic diseases today.