Are your doctors healthy? The surprising results.

The days when doctors smoked openly are long gone, but a new survey shows that more than half of health-givers are not healthy at all.

The 2012 Physicians’ Lifestyle Survey authored by Carol Peckham, director of editorial development of Medscape, showed that in the U.S., 57 percent of male and 65 percent of female health-givers are overweight.

They do, however, try to set a good example. Of 292,251 physicians surveyed in 25 different specialties, only 8 percent of males and 7 percent of females do not embark on any exercise program.

Almost 70 percent of all exercising physicians take up an aerobic exercise like walking, running, swimming or biking.

Doctors prefer quality over length of life

The survey also asked doctors what they would do if they were told they had a terminal illness.

Surprisingly, a vast majority, almost 70 percent, would not go through aggressive treatments to battle their disease.

Instead of prolonging their lives, doctors said they would opt for supportive care.

 
The happiest and healthiest

Of the kinds of doctors surveyed, dermatologists, plastic surgeons and endocrinologists said they felt at the peak of good health.

Those who didn’t included ICU specialists, pediatricians and obstetricians.

In the happiness meter, rheumatologists, dermatologists and urologists scored the highest when it came to being happy about their private lives.

The least happy came from the following specialties: neurology, gastroenterology and internal medicine.

Obstetricians landed in the top 13 happiest doctors out of the 25 specialists.

 
What doctors like to do off-hours

If you want to impress your doctor, talk about his or her top three favorite leisure activities: exercise/physical activity, reading and traveling.

They don’t care much about playing a musical instrument, photography, painting or sculpting and managing their finances or investing.

The survey also showed that anesthesiologists and radiologists are among those who take the longest vacations.

Those who take the shortest breaks are plastic surgeons and neurologists.

When they take a vacation, doctors prefer traveling abroad and going to the beach. Their least favorites are adventure vacations like rock climbing and rafting.



Dr. Diana Sarmiento is a mother of three, part-time doctor, and a full-time wife and mother. The topics closest to her heart are women’s health, parenting, and any new information that she can get her hands on. Read more on her personal blog, Filipina M.D.


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