Public Health Cinema: Drivers of Medical Student Engagement in an Extracurricular Initiative
Abstract
Background: Enhancing medical students’ engagement with public health topics remains a persistent challenge in medical education. The “Public Health Cinema” initiative is an extracurricular activity that integrates selected film screenings on public health issues with expert-led discussions to foster critical reflection and learning. This study assessed student satisfaction and identified factors associated with continued participation.
Methods: In 2026, we conducted a cross-sectional survey of 192 medical students who participated in the initiative, collecting sociodemographic and participation data. Motivation for attendance was categorized as intrinsic (interest in films, socializing, curiosity) or extrinsic (personal academic benefit). Satisfaction was measured across multiple domains with a five-item Likert scale and combined into a single composite score. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) for future attendance were calculated using univariable and multivariable logistic regression.
Results: Participants reported high satisfaction (mean composite score 4.51/5), with particularly high ratings for venue and speakers. Overall, 72.9% expressed intention to attend future screenings, while 97.9% supported continuation of the initiative. Intrinsic motivation was a strong driver of return intention (OR = 3.51, 95% CI 1.72–7.15). Higher overall satisfaction, measured as a composite score, was significantly associated with return intention (OR = 2.91, 95% CI 1.48–5.71) and with having preferences regarding the ideal time for the opening expert-led discussion (OR = 2.99, 95% CI 1.29–6.91).
Conclusions: Student engagement in the Public Health Cinema initiative is primarily driven by intrinsic motivation and overall satisfaction, reflecting key program design features. These findings highlight the importance of fostering active participation and optimizing event structure to support sustainability and strengthen student involvement in public health education.
Key messages: • Intrinsic motivation and positive experience are associated with sustained engagement of medical students in Public Health Cinema.
• Interactive extracurricular formats, such as Public Health Cinema, can strengthen student involvement and support long-term engagement with public health topics.
Related
- Improving medical missions: A student and trainee tool for ethical engagement
- Localized Debriefing Assessment for Simulation in Healthcare (DASH): Medical Student Engagement and Debriefing Assessment Validity
- Evaluating HEART: Student Engagement and Health System Impact in a Person-Centered Learning Health System Initiative.
- Evaluating the associations of learning environment with student engagement and learning gains among undergraduate students at a medical university in western China
- Emotional Engagement as a Push Factor in Medical Student Migration Intentions
BibTeX
@article{stevanovic2026public,
title = {{Public Health Cinema: Drivers of Medical Student Engagement in an Extracurricular Initiative}},
author = {A Stevanović and M Zdujić and P Đurić and A Debeljković and S Mandić-Rajčević and I Sotirović and A Jović Vraneš},
journal = {The European Journal of Public Health},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1093/eurpub/ckag169.1038},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckag169.1038},
note = {CC BY-NC 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Public Health Cinema: Drivers of Medical Student Engagement in an Extracurricular Initiative
AU - A Stevanović
AU - M Zdujić
AU - P Đurić
AU - A Debeljković
AU - S Mandić-Rajčević
AU - I Sotirović
AU - A Jović Vraneš
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - The European Journal of Public Health
DO - 10.1093/eurpub/ckag169.1038
UR - https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckag169.1038
AB - Background: Enhancing medical students’ engagement with public health topics remains a persistent challenge in medical education. The “Public Health Cinema” initiative is an extracurricular activity that integrates selected film screenings on public health issues with expert-led discussions to foster critical reflection and learning. This study assessed student satisfaction and identified factors associated with continued participation. Methods: In 2026, we conducted a cross-sectional survey of 192 medical students who participated in the initiative, collecting sociodemographic and participation data. Motivation for attendance was categorized as intrinsic (interest in films, socializing, curiosity) or extrinsic (personal academic benefit). Satisfaction was measured across multiple domains with a five-item Likert scale and combined into a single composite score. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) for future attendance were calculated using univariable and multivariable logistic regression. Results: Participants reported high satisfaction (mean composite score 4.51/5), with particularly high ratings for venue and speakers. Overall, 72.9% expressed intention to attend future screenings, while 97.9% supported continuation of the initiative. Intrinsic motivation was a strong driver of return intention (OR = 3.51, 95% CI 1.72–7.15). Higher overall satisfaction, measured as a composite score, was significantly associated with return intention (OR = 2.91, 95% CI 1.48–5.71) and with having preferences regarding the ideal time for the opening expert-led discussion (OR = 2.99, 95% CI 1.29–6.91). Conclusions: Student engagement in the Public Health Cinema initiative is primarily driven by intrinsic motivation and overall satisfaction, reflecting key program design features. These findings highlight the importance of fostering active participation and optimizing event structure to support sustainability and strengthen student involvement in public health education. Key messages: • Intrinsic motivation and positive experience are associated with sustained engagement of medical students in Public Health Cinema. • Interactive extracurricular formats, such as Public Health Cinema, can strengthen student involvement and support long-term engagement with public health topics.
SN - 1101-1262
SN - 1464-360X
ER -