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Business Travel Linked to Obesity
Businesspeople who travel two weeks or more every month report higher rates of obesity as well as higher blood pressure and greater risk of cardiovascular disease.
Posted 5/ 10 11 at 10:00 AM | News, Management, Travel
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A recent study by Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health links frequent business travel with poor health and obesity. According to the study, which compiled data from the medical records of 13,000 employees, those who travel for business two weeks or more a month have higher body mass index, higher rates of obesity and poorer self-rated health than those who travel one to six days a month.Among the 13,000 employees in the study, 80 percent reported traveling at least one night a month, while 1 percent travel 20 or more nights a month. Overall, researchers found that the group of businesspeople who traveled the most (20 or more days a month) have poorer health on several levels, including higher blood pressure and greater risk of cardiovascular disease, than those who travel less frequently.
Researchers also looked at the type of traveling done and found that 81 percent of business travel among the employees studied is done in personal automobiles, while air travel accounted for 16 percent of business traveling. Researchers note that the long hours of sitting in a car and poor food choices on the road are likely the main factors that contribute to the poor health of road warriors.
Additionally, the study asked traveling employees how they felt about their health overall, and frequent travelers were 260 percent more likely to rate their health as fair or poor compared to light travelers. According to Dr. Andrew Rundle, an author of the study and professor of epidemiology at the Mailman School, companies can begin to address the connection between business travel and increased health problems by "offering education programs and strategies for employees to improve diet and activity while traveling."
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Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Sure because they are living on fast food and other cheap restaurant meals half the time. The problem isn't the travel - it's the crap they are eating. Note that this would NOT include most executives and CEO's who travel, because they will be dining at fine restaurants with quality food.
BA - try ACTUALLY doing what I said - go look at the weight of people lined up at McDonalds or Burger King, and then go look at the people eating in a high quality restaurant. DO IT if you don't believe me. Cooking for yourself at home is NOT the issue, and has nothing to do with what I said. I'm talking about EATING OUT WHEN YOU ARE TRAVELING - which is what the article is about. Sure, there are some obese CEO's, but I have yet to see one that looks ANYTHING like the 600 pound blobs of human lard that ride electric wheelchairs because they long since lost the ability to carry their own bulk. THAT kind of weight is the end result of a steady diet of American fast food. You don't see people like that in other countries, but in the US half of the parking lot of every store has to have a dozen or two special parking places for them all.
People can become overweight because they eat more of something because they think that it is good for them. For example, wheat bread. Someone said, "a calorie is a calorie is a calorie".
Nothing will pack the fat on faster than American fast food. Just take a look at the average weight of those in line at McDonalds or Burger King next time. Now compare that with the average weight of a customer at a fine dining restaurant (somewhere that your check will be more than $100 per person). What does this tell you? Obviously wealthy people aren't starving. They can afford all the food they want. They just don't eat the crap that the average American eats.
Because wealthy people can afford to eat non-crap. $5 stretches a lot further at McDonald's than a produce stand.
@Get Real. That's bullcrap. CEOs are overweight too, in response to your other comment up above.
And there is nothing nutritionally special about a meal that costs $100 a person. Meals eaten outside the home are still high in fat, sodium, etc. because they have to make it taste "good." You can buy yourself some nice wholesome food for $5 or $10 at home and cook it in a healthful way yourself...then go get some exercise - if a "poor" person did that, they would be much healthier than those wealthy people who dine out for $100 (or $30...$100 is a little steep).
@Lindsey. You don't know what you are talking about, so stop spreading the lies and nonsense. Fast food is NOT cheaper than healthy eating. Poor people eat too much fast food for the same reason as everyone else. Because they are too lazy to prepare food themselves and because it tastes good. I can drive to the local supermarket and buy FORTY cucumbers for $5. Those forty cucumbers will satisfy me for many more meals than a $5 trip to McDonald's.
@Bardofoc. Where are you getting the cucumbers? They are 2for $3.00 in my neighborhood and I live in a good neighborhood for access to fruits/veggies. Even a jar of pickles is $3.49
@JM
My local Albertsons starting selling cucumbers $1 ea. a few weeks ago. Much more recently, the Mexican supermarket across the street began a sale, 8 cucumbers for $1. They are just as delicious as the ones at Albertsons. But heck with the cucumbers, I can drive to Wal-Mart and buy a can of black beans or kidney beans for .79 cents. That's still a better buy than a $1 McDouble Cheeseburger at Micky D's.
Well at least they can't blame it on airline food---for you young people they used to serve food o airlines! REALLY
...........also, people with joint or foot pain that makes moving hurt so that all they want to do is keep heating pads, ointments, drugs etc. on the area that prevents them from being mobile. Young people learn these things when their bodies start to break down.
Obesity is often the result for someone who has been sexually abused. Next time you're laughing at a fatty, try a sprinkle of compassion. Most of these people have already suffered a great deal and you're adding to the shame they feel.
I guess airline pilots are pretty well screwed.
Airline pilots only drink coffee. They don't actually eat food. Coffee doesn't have calories to speak of.
Yeah - you know what, I feel compassion, right up until that giant 600 pound fatty tries to squash into the seat next to me. I paid for one seat, you paid for one seat. I did not pay for 1/2 a seat and that fatty did not pay for 1 and 1/2 seats.
Just sent you a comment & inadvertently typed my name instead of my email address -sorry !
I THINK THIS WAS A POOR STUDY WITHOUT ANY BIOMECHANICAL DATA.
RELATING IT TO AUTOMOBILE, WHICH PROLOLONGED EXPOSURES TO ELEVATED VIBRATIONS FROM A MECHANICAL VESSEL MAKES YOU EAT MORE TO SUSTAIN THE FATIGUE NOT JUST ON ROAD BUT AFTERWARDS, WHICH THE HUMAN BODY BECOMES OVERVIBRATED WHERE IT AFFECTS JOINTS AND TISSUE CELLS AND YOU EAT TO OVERCOME THAT FEELING OF WEAKNESS FROM BEING ON THE ROAD AND EXPOSED TO ALOTE OF VIBRATIONS, BLAME THE AUTO MAKERS AND REGULATORS OF EMMISSIONS BEING PRODUCED FROM MECHANICAL OBJECTS.
CHECK OUT THE STUDYS ON HUMAN VIBRATION EXPOSURES, " THE FIRST AMERICAN CONFERENCE ON HUMAN VIBRATION", IT IS SCARY TO KNOW THE REAL TRUTH AND HOW IT AFFECTS US HUMANS. I KNOW THIS FIRST HAND FROM A RECENT MOTOR VEHICLE THAT HAD THE ELEVATED VIBRATION, WHICH WAS PRODUCING HIGH EMISSIONS, INCIDENTLY THE NEED TO EAT MORE WAS TO OVERCOME THE FRAIL FEELINGS AND WEAKNESS.
BE AWARE OF HIGH BIO MECHANICAL EMISSION EXPOSURES IT CAN KILL YOU AND CAUSE UNEXPLAINED INJURIES, ILLNESSES, OBESITY AND COULD CAUSE DEATH IN SOME CASES.