New research into health impact of holidays

We often say we could do with a good holiday. Now holiday company Kuoni is joining forces with healthcare charity Nuffield Health to try and find out whether there are any health benefits to going on a holiday.

The Holiday Health Experiment will attempt to quantify the physiological and psychological changes following a holiday.

Kuoni and Nuffield are looking to members of the public to take part in the study by filling out a survey before heading off on their break and again after they have returned home.

The surveys will be conducted across April, May and June, and will ask people about their health and holiday habits.

A selection of the respondents will be invited to take part in clinical tests and discussion sessions with a psychotherapist prior to, during and after their all expenses paid holiday.

Each individual will wear a small ECG monitor for three days and nights before, during and after their holiday to monitor heart rate variability and nervous system activity, and assess the impact of various stressors on a person's body.

The psychotherapy sessions will cover stress, anxiety, mood, libido and all aspects of mental health in everyday life and across a holiday period. Each individual will also be
asked to keep a mood diary before, during and after the holiday.

Participants will also be given a full health assessment by Nuffield looking at their overall health and fitness, and analysing areas such as body mass index, cholesterol levels, blood pressure, sleep quality, nutritional status and aerobic fitness.

They will then be re-tested after their holiday and the data compared with the pre-holiday clinical data to identify any changes.

The organisations are hoping the study will uncover some of the effects of "everyday life" on the body and mind, so that these can be compared with the way in which different types of travel and holiday experiences can influence mental and phsyical well-being.

www.kuoni.co.uk/en/holiday-health-experiment/pages/holiday-health-experiment.aspx