Socioeconomic disparities and their effect on medical student academic attainment sudanese universities

Background: Socioeconomic status (SES) is a social classification factor that takes into account income, parental education and occupation. SES has been shown to play an important role in shaping students’ academic performance, including in medical schools, but there still remains significant variation in findings around SES and academic achievement worldwide. We aim to assess and explore socioeconomic disparities and their effects on medical school performance at Sudanese public and private universities. Objectives: The objective of our study was to assess the effects of age, sex, living conditions, parental education and income level on the academic achievement of medical students from universities in Sudan. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among undergraduate medical students at ten public universities in Sudan between September and December 2023. Participants were included if they were older than 18 years and were studying in their 2nd year or older. The data were collected using an online questionnaire with open- and closed-ended questions measuring age, living conditions, parental income level and education. A convenience sampling method was used to recruit participants from universities. The data were analyzed using SPSS v28.0.0, and a p value less than 0.05 was used to indicate statistical significance. Results: We received 832 responses, 516 (62%) from females and 307 (36.9%) from males. The median age was 23 years. Most students lived with their families (61.1%), followed by student housing (28.2%). This study revealed age (p =.024) (95% Cl: 0.025- 0.023) andhigh family income (p =.019) (95% Cl: 0.018- 0.02) are associated with academic achievement in the long term, as demonstrated through cumulative grade point average (cGPA). Conclusion: The findings underscore the importance of targeted support systems to bridge the socioeconomic gaps that exist among medical students, allowing all students to thrive academically regardless of their background. Clinical trial number: None. © The Author(s) 2024.