Impact of a Physical Activity Program on the Mental Health of Medical Students.

University students frequently adopt a sedentary lifestyle with low levels of physical activity, leading to a deterioration in their health. A significant number of them also suffer from social isolation. Moreover, numerous studies have highlighted the vulnerability of university students (particularly those in medical programs) to mental health issues. Medical students, with their demanding academic curriculum, are no exception to this trend. A student association at the Lyon Est Faculty of Medicine reported that students' mental health is very low (2022): at least 1 in 2 students has experienced a depressive episode, and 1 in 3 has had suicidal thoughts during their studies. Other recent studies indicate that medical students at Lyon Est exhibit high levels of stress, low self-confidence, and excessive sedentary behavior (ECOSTRESS and ECOSPERF studies, 2021, 2022, and 2023). Unfortunately, in 2024, new mental health surveys among medical students from the second year through the end of their internship continue to confirm these findings. The SANTE project aims to offer solution to student to a highly effective means of improving both their mental health and their level of physical activity throught an intervention program. More precisely, the goal of this interventional study is to evaluate the impact of a physical activity program on the mental health in second-cycle medical students at the University of Lyon 1. The development of the SANTÉ program was based on (i) data from the literature, (ii) results from a previous local study (IRB No. 2024-07-02-03) that identified student needs through individual interviews and focus groups, and (iii) local findings from a co-construction workshop with students.

NCT Number	NCT06822075
Lead Sponsor	Research on Healthcare Performance Lab U1290
Conditions	Health Behavior, Health Related Physical Fitness, Mental Health, Sedentary Behaviors, Physical Inactivity, Medical Student
Enrollment	50 participants
Start Date	2025-02-06
Primary Completion	2026-07-31 (estimated)
Study Completion	2026-07-31 (estimated)
Updated on ClinicalTrials.gov	2025-06-18