Cohen Marc M, Elliott Fiona, Oates Liza, Schembri Adrian, Mantri Nitin
1 School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University , Bundoora, Victoria, Australia .
2 Cogstate Limited , Melbourne, Victoria, Australia .
J Altern Complement Med. 2017 Feb;23(2):140-148. doi: 10.1089/acm.2016.0268. Epub 2017 Jan 9.
Wellness retreats use many complementary and alternative therapies within a holistic residential setting, yet few studies have evaluated the effect of retreat experiences on multiple dimensions of health and well-being, and no published studies have reported health outcomes in wellness tourists.
To assess the effect of a week-long wellness-retreat experience in wellness tourists.
A longitudinal observational study with outcomes assessed upon arrival and departure and 6 weeks after the retreat.
A rural health retreat in Queensland, Australia.
A holistic, 1-week, residential, retreat experience that included many educational, therapeutic, and leisure activities and an organic, mostly plant-based diet.
Multiple outcome measures were performed upon arrival and departure and 6 weeks after the retreat. These included anthropometric measures, urinary pesticide metabolites, a food and health symptom questionnaire, the Five Factor Wellness Inventory, the General Self Efficacy questionnaire, the Pittsburgh Insomnia Rating Scale, the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale, the Profile of Mood States, and the Cogstate cognitive function test battery.
Statistically significant improvements (p < 0.05) were seen in almost all measures (n = 37) after 1 week and were sustained at 6 weeks (n = 17). There were statistically significant improvements (p < 0.001) in all anthropometric measures after 1 week, with reductions in abdominal girth (2.7 cm), weight (1.6 kg), and average systolic and diastolic pressure (-16.1 mmHg and -9.3 mmHg, respectively). Statistically significant improvements (p < 0.05) were also seen in psychological and health symptom measures. Urinary pesticide metabolites were detected in pooled urine samples before the retreat and were undetectable after the retreat.
Retreat experiences can lead to substantial improvements in multiple dimensions of health and well-being that are maintained for 6 weeks. Further research that includes objective biomarkers and economic measures in different populations is required to determine the mechanisms of these effects and assess the value and relevance of retreat experiences to clinicians and health insurers.
健康疗养在整体住宿环境中采用多种补充和替代疗法，但很少有研究评估疗养体验对健康和幸福多个维度的影响，且尚无已发表的研究报告健康旅游参与者的健康结果。
评估为期一周的健康疗养体验对健康旅游参与者的影响。
一项纵向观察性研究，在抵达时、离开时以及疗养结束6周后评估结果。
澳大利亚昆士兰州的一个乡村健康疗养地。
为期1周的整体住宿疗养体验，包括许多教育、治疗和休闲活动以及有机的、以植物为主的饮食。
在抵达时、离开时以及疗养结束6周后进行多项结果测量。这些测量包括人体测量指标、尿中农药代谢物、食物和健康症状问卷、五因素健康量表、一般自我效能量表、匹兹堡失眠评定量表、抑郁焦虑压力量表、情绪状态剖面图以及Cogstate认知功能测试组。
1周后几乎所有测量指标（n = 37）均有统计学显著改善（p < 0.05），并在6周时（n = 17）得以维持。1周后所有人体测量指标均有统计学显著改善（p < 0.001），腹围减少（2.7厘米）、体重减轻（1.6千克），平均收缩压和舒张压分别降低（-16.1毫米汞柱和-9.3毫米汞柱）。心理和健康症状测量指标也有统计学显著改善（p < 0.05）。疗养前的混合尿液样本中检测到尿中农药代谢物，疗养后未检测到。
疗养体验可使健康和幸福的多个维度得到显著改善，并持续6周。需要进一步开展研究，纳入不同人群的客观生物标志物和经济指标，以确定这些影响的机制，并评估疗养体验对临床医生和健康保险公司的价值及相关性。
