Survey fielded to 292,251 US physicians
• Total respondents: 29,025 US physicians across 25 specialty areas
• Fieldwork conducted by Medscape from 1/12/2012-1/27/2012
• Data collected via third-party online survey collection site
** Respondents were entered into a sweepstakes to win an Apple iPad 2 16GB
Wi-Fi Enabled Device awarded to 5 physicians.
How Happy Are Infectious Disease Specialists With Their Lives
Outside of Work?
According to a 2006 report from the Pew Research Center, 34% of Americans
say that they are "very happy," 50% "pretty happy," and 15%
"not too happy."[1] Medscape asked US physicians how happy
they were with their lives outside of medicine and to rate their level of
happiness on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being the least happy and 5 being the
happiest. The average happiness score for all physicians who responded was
3.96, which is on the cheerful side. Infectious disease scored 3.97 -- just
about the same as the physician average.
What Are Infectious Disease Specialists' Favorite Pastimes?
Infectious disease specialists rated their top 5 pastimes as reading, exercise/physical
activity, travel, cultural events, and food and wine. Surfing the Web came in a
distant sixth; it was a favorite pastime of almost 23% of infectious
disease physicians. A handful wrote in to say that they enjoyed playing
with their children. Some of the more interesting pastimes enjoyed by
infectious disease specialists were target shooting, interior design, and
amateur radio.
Where Do Infectious Disease Specialists Volunteer?
In the overall response to the Medscape survey, the
unhappiest physicians, according to self-rating, were those who didn't
volunteer, followed by those who tutored or did counseling. Doing any
type of volunteer work was associated with a self-rated happiness score higher
than the overall average score of 3.96. Of note, in a 2000 survey published
in Archives of Family Medicine, physicians who viewed benevolence as a guiding principle in their lives reported
greater professional satisfaction.[2] In the Medscape
survey, almost three quarters of infectious disease specialists reported
participating in some form of volunteerism, whereas 27% rarely, if ever,
volunteered. In the write-in responses, a few infectious disease
specialists noted that they saw patients at the local free clinic or
participated in other pro bono medical work. Others were active in their
children's schools.
Where Do Most Infectious Disease Specialists Lean on the
Political Spectrum?
A May 2011 poll by Rasmussen Reports found that 29% of US
voters characterize themselves as both fiscal and social conservatives, and
only 10% said that they are liberal in both areas.[3] In the
Medscape poll, when asked about their political leanings, about 39% of
infectious disease specialists defined themselves as being both socially and
fiscally liberal -- a percentage almost double that of their peers and 4 times
higher than in the general US population. About 42% of infectious disease
specialists described themselves as fiscally conservative and socially liberal.
Moreover, about 56% reported that they were fiscal conservatives and 82% were
social liberals, making infectious disease specialists one of the most
left-leaning groups among their peers.
Where Do Infectious Disease Specialists Vacation?
With an average of 13 paid vacation days per year, Americans
do far worse than those in other developed countries (eg, Italy, 42; France,
37; Germany, 35; United Kingdom, 28; Canada, 26; Japan, 25).When they go on
vacation, according to a 2009 survey from the U.S. Travel Association, Americans
like to visit friends and relatives, go sightseeing or to beaches, visit
museums, and go to national or state parks.[4] Infectious
disease specialists do better than most Americans in amount of vacation time,
but not as well as most physicians. Over 30% take 2 weeks of vacation or less,
and only 10% took more than 4 weeks, which was the lowest of all specialties. When
they do take vacations, favorite destinations by far involve foreign travel
(63%), followed by beaches (41%). Then, 20% prefer road trips, cultural
trips, and staying at vacation homes, followed closely by camping and hiking. In
the write-in responses, some infectious disease specialists said that they
visit family. One commenter enjoys sailing trips, and another likes bicycling
through Europe.
What Percentage of Infectious Disease Specialists Are
Married? Single?
Among infectious disease specialists who responded to the
Medscape survey, around 80% were currently married, a rate slightly less than
that reported by all physicians. Infectious disease specialists reported an
average divorce and separation rate (5.6%) that was similar to all physicians
who responded (5.7%). The percentage of married infectious disease specialists
in this survey is far higher than the marriage rate in the general US
population. In fact, the current US
Census found a decrease in the percentage of married Americans over the past 40
years, from 72% in 1970 to just 48% in 2011.[5] This parallels a
recent Pew Research Center finding that only 51% of US adults are currently
married.[6] The report also found that the current
marriage rate for people younger than 30 years was only 20%. Of interest, in
the general Medscape survey, nearly one half of all physicians in that same
young age group reported being married.
Does an Infectious Disease Specialist's Marital Status
Affect Level of Happiness?
According to a Pew Research Center report, 43% of married
people reported that they were "very happy," compared with only 24%
of those who were unmarried.[1] A study (albeit an older one) of
a large sample of medical and dental professionals and their spouses reported
that 85% were satisfied with their marriages and that high levels of marital
satisfaction were associated with high levels of work satisfaction, low levels
of work stress, and fewer psychiatric symptoms.[7] When
happiness was examined according to marital status, the highest happiness
score (out of 5) was reported by infectious disease specialists who were living
with a partner, with highest scores among those who were remarried (4.53), then
those who were single but living with a domestic partner (4.38). In third
place were those in a first marriage (3.98). Infectious disease specialists who
were separated or single and living alone reported being less happy (3.50),
whereas those who were divorced rounded out the bottom (3.12).
How Do Infectious Disease Specialists Rate Their Own
Physical Health?
In our survey, physicians were asked to rate their physical
health on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being very healthy and 1 being in poor
health. The healthiest specialists by this self-rating were dermatologists,
plastic surgeons, endocrinologists, orthopaedists, and cardiologists. The 5
least healthy were general surgeons, psychiatrists, ob/gyns, pediatricians, and
critical care physicians. Infectious disease specialists who responded to
the Medscape survey were fairly close to the middle of the pack among
physicians. When results were broken down by age group, however, infectious
disease specialists between 41 and 50 years of age rated themselves as
healthier than those in their 30s (4.21 vs 3.97) -- also higher than the
average physician in this age group (4.13).
How Many Infectious Disease Specialists Are Overweight?
According to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC), in 2008 40% of
US men were overweight and 32% were obese.[8] As for physicians in
general, a 2004 study[9] found that 38% of male physicians were
overweight and 8% were obese. The Medscape survey suggests an
improvement in the average physicians' weight, and infectious disease
specialists fared slightly better than their peers. Approximately 30.4% of
infectious disease specialists reported being overweight, in contrast to the
32.9% average of all physicians who responded to the survey. About 4.0% of
infectious disease specialists responded that they were obese, which was better
than the 5.6% average reported among all physician respondents. Of note,
physicians' own body weight may influence how they talk to their patients about
weight. A 2012 study in Obesity reported that physicians with a normal
body mass index were more likely to engage their obese patients in weight-loss
discussions than were overweight or obese physicians (30% vs 18%).[10]
In a Medscape discussion
on overweight physicians, a primary care physician wrote, "We are all
fallible. Physicians need to address this directly when communicating with
their patients -- why they choose to remain fat or to smoke -- so they can be
credible."
How Often Do Infectious Disease Specialists Exercise?
According to the CDC, between 1999 and 2009 the percentage
of men aged 18 years or older who met the 2008 federal aerobic activity and
muscle-strengthening guidelines increased from 19% to 22%.[8] These
guidelines recommend moderate to vigorous aerobic activity performed in
episodes of at least 10 minutes, and preferably spread throughout the week.
Adults should also do muscle-strengthening activities that are moderate or high
intensity and involve all major muscle groups on 2 or more days a week.
According to the Medscape survey, the older they are, the more infectious
disease specialists exercise, which is a trend seen among all physicians.
Whether this higher rate among older physicians is a matter of free time or
consciousness of aging cannot be determined from this survey. Almost 70% of
infectious disease specialists in their 30s reported that they exercised once a
week or less. Those numbers were flipped, however, for older physicians: Among
infectious disease specialists aged 51-60 years, 60% reported exercising 2 or
more times a week, and 76% of those aged 61-70 years exercised at the same
rate.
What Types of Exercise Do Infectious Disease Specialists
Engage in Most?
Over 73% of infectious disease specialists and 71% of all
physicians engaged in aerobic activities as their primary form of exercise.
Weight training came in a distant second, with about 22% choosing it as their
favorite physical activity. Seventeen percent of infectious disease
specialists enjoy yoga, tai chi, or other Eastern practices, which was a little
more than the 15% of all physicians who do so. Among write-in responses,
some infectious disease specialists specified skateboarding, and others said
that they did Power 90 Extreme (P90X), a workout that emphasizes intense
periodic cross-training.
Do Infectious Disease Specialists Smoke?
Although the national quit rate has increased slightly over
the past few years, according to a 2011 Harris Interactive poll, 18% of Americans still smoke.[11]
Among nonsmokers, the physicians who answered our survey -- including
infectious disease specialists -- led the national pack: A little under 1% of infectious disease
specialists said that they smoked, and about 4.4% were ex-smokers.
How Often Do Infectious Disease Specialists Drink Alcohol?
As reported in a 2010 Gallup poll, 67% of US adults drink
alcohol, a rate that has been "remarkably stable" since this began to
be tracked in 1939.[12] According to the Medscape survey,
infectious disease specialists were just a little above the national average
and their peers; about 69% reported that they drank, and about 31% did not
drink at all. Over one half, however, reported having fewer than 1 drink
per day, and approximately 13% reported having 1-2 drinks per day. A little over
3% of infectious disease specialists responded that they consumed more than 2
drinks daily.
How Do Infectious Disease Specialists Gauge the State of
Their Personal Finances?
As of December 2011, a Gallup poll reported that 52.5% of
Americans considered themselves to be thriving, 43.7% were struggling, and 3.7%
were suffering.[13] In contrast, our
Medscape survey indicates that many infectious disease specialists perceive
themselves as being on secure financial footing. Over 68% of infectious
disease specialists in practice said that they had adequate or more than
adequate savings for their age and stage of life. All of those who were
retired also reported having adequate or more than adequate savings. It should
be noted, however, that this finding may reflect the small number of
respondents in this older age group.
Are Infectious Disease Specialists Religious/Spiritual?
According to a 2008
Pew report, 88% of Americans believe in God or a universal spirit.[14]
In our Medscape poll, instead of asking about specific religious affiliations,
we wanted to know whether physicians have a spiritual belief, regardless of
active participation. Just under three quarters of infectious disease
specialists reported that they have religious or spiritual belief, and about
39% of them actively practice their faith. Infectious disease specialists were
slightly less religious than their peers, 83% of whom reported that they had
religious beliefs. Of note, in our survey, men and women differed
little in terms of having or not having a belief system and actively or not
actively practicing. In the Pew report, however, men were
significantly more likely than women to claim no religious affiliation: nearly
20% vs roughly 13%, respectively.
What Would Infectious Disease Specialists Do if They Were
Told They Had a Terminal Illness?
In a 2011 poll by National Journal and the Regence
Foundation,[15] 71% of the
general population felt that quality of life was more important than length of
life, 23% felt it was important to extend life with every intervention
available, and only 6% didn't know or didn't answer the question. About
three quarters of infectious disease specialists chose palliative care and
quality of life over aggressive treatment in all age groups, with the exception
of those in their 40s. This group was more uncertain, and there was an increase
in those who would choose aggressive treatment. When the responses were
filtered by religious or spiritual belief, 9% of infectious disease
specialists with no beliefs wanted aggressive treatment. Nearly 17% of those
who actively practice their religion answered that they would choose to be
treated aggressively.
Do Infectious Disease Specialists Use Social Media?
Unlike other older physicians, those in infectious disease
were as likely to use social media as those in the youngest age groups in this
survey. In fact, infectious disease specialists in their 60s were heavier
users of Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter than those in their 50s.
How Many US Infectious Disease Specialists Are Citizens, and
How Many Came From Other Countries?
Approximately 58% of the infectious disease specialists
who answered Medscape's questions about citizenship were born in the United
States, and about 10% came here as children. About 32% came to the United
States as adults -- a proportion that is much lower than the rate of 26.3% for
physicians overall that the Migration Policy Institute reported in 2007. In
this report, Asia was the origin of
the greatest proportion of foreign-born physicians -- around 22% -- followed by
Europe/Canada/Oceania at about 16%. Africa contributed about 12%, and Latin
America 6%.[16]
What Cars Do Infectious Disease Specialists Drive?
In 2011, the top 3 highest-selling cars in the United States
were made by non-US companies: Toyota, Nissan, and Honda, with Ford coming
in fourth.[17] Infectious disease specialists who answered the
Medscape survey also listed foreign-made cars as their top choices: Honda
(19%), Toyota (15%), and Lexus and Mercedes-Benz (both with 8%). Audi came in
sixth. US automaker Ford didn't show up until eighth place and was chosen
by only about 5% of infectious disease specialists.
What Are Infectious Disease Specialists' Favorite Nonmedical
Mobile Apps?
Author affiliation: Carol Peckham, Director of Editorial
Development, Medscape from WebMD
Disclosure: Carol Peckham has disclosed no relevant
financial relationships.
Author affiliation: Mindy Hung, Freelance writer
Disclosure: Mindy Hung has disclosed no relevant financial
relationships.
