Quality of life of medical students at the State University of Rio de Janeiro (UERJ), measured using Whoqol-bref: a multivariate analysis

UERJ allocates 45% of places as scholarships to socioeconomically-challenged students. Whoqol-bref was used to assess to what extent sociodemographic and health variables, the admission process and year of graduation simultaneously influence the quality of life (QOL) domains of medical students. 394 students with a mean age of 23 years participated in the study: 61% females, 43% scholarship holders and 20% with referred chronic morbidity (RCM). The lowest QOL scores were observed among women, with RCM, scholarship holders, economic class C and students in the 3rd and 6th years. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that all the independent variables analyzed had a negative association with QOL domains, and when assessed jointly contributed partly to its explanation, achieving 22% in the "environment" domain, influenced by their social class and the admission process. The presence of RCM had a negative influence on the physical, psychological and social relations domains. The last two domains were also influenced by the year of graduation. Variables with a positive influence on QOL need to be explored further. The data obtained are enough to serve as the base for care strategies for the most vulnerable students during medical training, giving special attention to scholarship students.