People who did not travel at all are actually a less-healthy group. Compared to light travelers (one to six nights per month), non-travelers were about 60 per cent more likely to rate their health as fair to poor.
This may reflect a "healthy worker effect", with employees who have health problems being less likely to travel.
Otherwise, rates of less-than-good health increased along with nights of travel. Extensive travelers were 260 per cent more likely to rate their health as fair to poor, compared to light travelers.
Other health risk factors showed similar patterns: obesity was 33 per cent more likely non-travelers and 92 per cent more likely for extensive travelers.
The same two groups were also more likely to have high blood pressure and unfavorable cholesterol levels.
Although business travel is often equated with long airline flights, relatively short business trips in personal cars are much more common.
Several factors could contribute to health risks in frequent business travelers—for example, poor sleep, fattening foods, and long periods of inactivity.
The study has been published in the April Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.
