LENNUSÕIDUL JA VÄLISRIIKIDES PUHKUSEJA/VÕI KULTUURIREISIL VIIBIMISEGA KAASNEVAD TERVISEPROBLEEMID
Health problems related to air travel and going on holiday or/and a cultural vacation
Kätlin Kindsiko, Grete Must, Ülle Parm, Maie Treial
Abstract Nowadays people from developed countries travel more and more. For long distances travellers prefer to use planes. This mode of transport is usually the fastest. But sometimes during travelling by plane and staying in a foreign country different health problems may occur. Our aim was to determine the health problems connected to air travel and stay in a foreign country. The research included electronic questionnaire responded by 1014 people (864 of them were women), who had travelled by plane in the last five years. Based on the data we found that the main health problems during plane travel were ear- and headaches, flatulence. Fear of flying occurred nearly in one third of the subjects on both short and long distance flights. It manifested in tachycardia episodes (55.7%) and pre-travel insomnia (53.5%). Possible explanations are the fear of height and/or frightening information in media. In order to cope with the situation the female passengers preferred to listen to music and the male subjects to consume alcohol.
165
