Business travelers have higher risks for many health problems that include obesity and high cholesterol, say two researchers at Columbia University.
People who travel extensively for business are at a higher risk for a variety of health problems, including obesity and high cholesterol.
That’s the finding of two researchers at Columbia University who found that the more often a person travels for work, the less healthy they are likely to be, say the study’s authors, Catherine Richards and Andrew Rundle of the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University,
“The research was conducted by comparing the health data of more than 13,000 employees from a corporate wellness program. Close to 80 percent of the employees traveled at least one night per month. Nearly 1 percent were extensive travelers — spending as many as 20 nights a month on the road,” reported BusinessNewsDaily.
The researchers found that employees who did not travel at all were actually a less healthy group as compared to light travelers who travelled between one and six nights a month.
Researchers think this may reflect the fact that those workers were already unhealthy and therefore did not travel as much for work.
The researchers suggest some steps that companies can take to help employees stay healthy while they’re on the road — for example, offering stress management classes, selecting hotels with gym facilities and making healthier food choices using meal reimbursements.
The research appears in the April Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, the official publication of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM).
By David Wilkening
