title: Do Wellness Tourists Get Well? An Observational Study of Multiple Dimensions of Health and Well-Being After a Week-Long Retreat.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  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.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess the effect of a week-long wellness-retreat experience in wellness tourists.
  
  
  METHODS
  A longitudinal observational study with outcomes assessed upon arrival and departure and 6 weeks after the retreat.
  
  
  METHODS
  A rural health retreat in Queensland, Australia.
  
  
  METHODS
  A holistic, 1-week, residential, retreat experience that included many educational, therapeutic, and leisure activities and an organic, mostly plant-based diet.
  
  
  METHODS
  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.
  
  
  RESULTS
  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.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  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.
authors.affiliation: 1 School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University , Bundoora, Victoria, Australia .
authors.forename: Marc M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Cohen
authors.affiliation: 1 School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University , Bundoora, Victoria, Australia .
authors.forename: Fiona
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Elliott
authors.affiliation: 1 School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University , Bundoora, Victoria, Australia .
authors.forename: Liza
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Oates
authors.affiliation: 1 School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University , Bundoora, Victoria, Australia .|2 Cogstate Limited , Melbourne, Victoria, Australia .
authors.forename: Adrian
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schembri
authors.affiliation: 3 School of Science, RMIT University , Bundoora, Victoria, Australia .
authors.forename: Nitin
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mantri
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001315:Australia; D001794:Blood Pressure; D060825:Cognitive Dysfunction; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011581:Psychological Tests; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014195:Travel
keywords: anxiety; cognitive function; depression; lifestyle; organic food; sleep; stress; wellness tourism