Effect of daily water intake on the level of anxiety among medical students of Khawaja Muhammad Safdar Medical College, Sialkot

Abstract

Background and Objective: A high incidence of burnout, depression, and anxiety is found among medical undergraduate and postgraduate students worldwide with the increasing prevalence of stress. The objective of this study was to analyze the correlation between water intake and the risk of anxiety among medical undergraduates of a public sector medical college in Pakistan. Method: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 375 medical undergraduates of Khawaja Muhammad Safdar Medical College, Sialkot, Pakistan. To assess the level of anxiety, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Assessment Scale 7 (GAD-7) was used. Points 3-0 were assigned to response categories of “nearly every day,” “more than half the days,” “several days,” and “not at all,” respectively. GAD-7 score was calculated by adding together the scores for seven questions. Scores of 15, 10, and 5 were taken as cut-off points for severe, moderate, and mild anxiety, respectively. Calculation of water consumption was carried out based on the number of water glasses intake per day. It was classified into <4, 4-7, and >7 of water/day. Result: Out of 110 male medical students, 58.2% were suffering from normal to mild anxiety and 41.8% from moderate to severe anxiety. A total of 40.0% and 60.0% of female medical students were suffering from normal-mild and moderate-severe anxiety, respectively. The risk of anxiety was more among female than male students. Logistic regression indicated a correlation between decreased anxiety and female gender and water intake of 4-7 or >7 glasses/day. Conclusion: The findings of the current study showed lesser anxiety levels in male students and an inverse relationship between water intake and level of anxiety. Therefore, increasing the intake of water can be beneficial in reducing stress and anxiety thus improving the quality of life.