Do residents in a northern program have better quality lives than their counterparts in a city?

OBJECTIVE To determine whether McMaster University's family medicine residents training in the Family Medicine North (FMN) program have better quality lives than those based in Hamilton, Ont (urban). DESIGN Residents at both sites were simultaneously given the Quality of Life Questionnaire, a standardized measurement tool. They were asked to complete the questionnaire anonymously and to provide demographic data. SETTING Family practice residencies in Ontario. PARTICIPANTS McMaster University's family medicine residents. Of 66 residents living in Hamilton, 36 completed the questionnaire; five respondents were ineligible. Of 25 residents living in Thunder Bay, Ont, 24 completed the questionnaire; none were ineligible. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Total quality-of-life score. Score was divided into five major domains, each with several subdomains: general well-being (material, physical, and personal growth), interpersonal relations (marital, parent-child, extended family, and extramarital), organizational activity (altruistic and political behaviour), occupational activity (job characteristics, occupational relations, and job satisfiers), and leisure and recreational activity (creative/esthetic behaviour, sports activity, vacation behaviour). RESULTS The FMN residents scored significantly higher than the Hamilton-based residents on overall quality of life (124.7 vs 112.5, P < .05) and tended to score higher in the five major domains. The trend reached statistical significance in general well-being and occupational activity; it was also apparent in various subdomains, with statistically significant differences in material well-being, marital relations, job characteristics, job satisfiers, and vacation behaviour. CONCLUSION Family Medicine North residents enjoy better quality of life than their urban counterparts based on responses to a standardized questionnaire.