HMS Profs In Top Shape, Survey Says

By eating breakfast regularly and working out, faculty members at Harvard Medical School (HMS) have done a better job following medical advice than the average citizen.

The October issue of Harvard Health Letter—a publication distributed by HMS—revealed the results of a survey it conducted of full-time Medical School faculty on their health habits.

HMS professors reportedly have healthy personal habits and regularly diet, exercise, and take vitamins.

“The doctors who replied to the survey reported somewhat healthier behavior and healthier weight than the ‘average’ American,” wrote Professor of Medicine Anthony L. Komaroff in an e-mail.

In total, 2,115 faculty members responded to the survey—1,185 of whom were male and 930 of whom were female. According to Komaroff, who is also the editor-in-chief of Harvard Health Publications, though the response rate was high for a voluntary survey, the credibility of the results is limited.

“[The response rate] is low enough that we cannot consider the results scientifically valid,” Komaroff wrote.

But, in general, HMS professors are health-conscious individuals.

According to survey results, most faculty members claimed wholesome dietary habits, with 82 percent eating breakfast consistently and only 12 percent eating frequently at fast food restaurants. Over half the faculty exercise regularly.

But not all respondents are so healthy. One hundred nineteen members of the faculty claimed to exercise less than once a week. Of the 119, about half said they eat less than two servings of fruit or vegetables a day.

But Associate Professor of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology Elaine A. Elion wrote that HMS professors are still more likely to choose healthy habits.

“Harvard Medical School faculty are more knowledgeable than the average American about what it takes to have a healthy life style and are therefore more likely to have higher health standards,” Elion wrote in an e-mail.

About 80 percent of the faculty take multivitamin supplements regularly. The use of calcium pills was especially prevalent in females—48.6 percent reported took them regularly.

Many of the professors surveyed were open-minded toward the use of alternative medicine, with more than 25 percent having taken herbal supplements.

And of the 141 women who reported menopausal symptoms, most were comfortable using hormones such as low-dose estrogen—either alone or with progestin—despite increased risks of heart disease and breast cancer.

But the majority of HMS faculty also take healthy steps to prevent serious diseases by getting screened regularly basis for breast and prostate cancer.

Elion wrote the survey was a worthwhile experiment.

“I thought it was a fine idea as long as responders were honest in how they answered the questions,” she wrote.

Komaroff wrote that such surveys also serve to increase awareness about health habits.

According to Harvard Health Letter, similar faculty surveys had been done twice in the past, in 1982 and 1992. The survey was revived this year for the publication’s 30th anniversary.