Table 3. The perceived barriers of all medical students towards participation in extracurricular activities (EA), N=237
Barriers for participating in EAs All respondents* Male (n=113) Mean ± SD Female (n=124) Mean ± SD p value**
Disagree n (%) Neutral n (%) Agree n (%) Mean ± SD
Participation in EAs affects academic performance 56 (23.6) 116 (48.9) 65 (27.4) 3.0 ± 0.8 2.8 ± 0.8 3.2 ± 0.8 0.0466
No emphasis of EAs in curriculum 32 (13.5) 80 (33.8) 125 (52.7) 3.5 ± 1.0 3.6 ± 1.1 3.5 ± 1.0 NS
No appreciation of participation in EAs 86 (36.3) 78 (32.9) 73 (30.8) 2.9 ± 1.2 2.9 ± 1.2 2.9 ± 1.2 NS
Participation in EAs is stressful 72 (30.4) 86 (36.3) 79 (33.3) 3.1 ± 1.1 3.1 ± 1.1 3.0 ± 1.1 NS
Lack of time 17 (7.2) 75 (31.6) 145 (61.2) 3.8 ± 0.9 3.8 ± 0.9 3.8 ± 0.9 NS
Lack of equal opportunities in EAs 38 (16.0) 62 (26.2) 137 (57.8) 3.7 ± 1.2 3.5 ± 1.2 3.8 ± 1.2 NS

*5-point Likert scale: 1= strongly disagree, 2= disagree, 3= neutral, 4= agree, 5= strongly agree

**A two-tailed Mann-Whitney U-test was used to compare the mean 5-point Likert scale responses between male and female students

†Statistical significance, p<0.05

Int J Med Educ. 2017; 8:285-289; doi: 10.5116/ijme.5973.297a