Road warriors out there beware! Travel for business for 2 weeks or more in a month have higher risk for obesity and poor health.
A study done by Andrew G Rundle and Catherine Richards was reported in the Journal Occupational & Environmental Medicine. The study drew data from about 13,000 employees from EHE International.
The results showed that 80% of the employees traveled at least one night a month and 1% of the employees traveled more than 20 nights a month. The business people who traveled greater than 20 nights a month have poorer health compared to those who traveled between 1-6 nights a month.
Comparisons between the intensive travelers and less intensive travelers in the areas of poor health are:
- BMI (Body Mass Index) – 27.5 vs 26.1
- HDL (good cholesterol) – 53.3 mg/dL vs 56.1 mg/dL
- Diastolic blood pressure – 76.2 mmHg vs 74.6 mmHg
- 260% of the intensive travelers more likely to rate their health as poor
81% of the business travel is done in the personal car. That means long hours of sitting and high probability of poor diets.
The study represents an important first step in investigating the association between chronic health and business travel. This means those who travel intensively for business should monitor their health regularly.
And for the employers, implementation of education programs and strategies to improve diet and exercise for fitness while traveling would be a good start.
Are you an intensive business traveler? What have you done about maintaining good health during your travel? Share with me in the comment box below.
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