As we approach the summer when many of us go on vacation, a recent travel health survey RL&A developed with Harris Interactive® for client Biocodex, which sells Florastor®, the world’s top-selling probiotic, confirmed that few Americans – just 15% of us — are planning to vacation outside the U.S. – this is not so strange considering the value of the U.S. dollar right now.
While a lot of thought goes into vacation destinations, potential illnesses don’t even enter the minds of almost 44 % of those surveyed, yet nearly one out of five has experienced some type of travel-related illness. 5% say they usually experience intestinal upset when traveling to a new environment and a similar percentage say that while they would travel somewhere known for travel-related illnesses, they would not take their children with them.
The most common ailment experienced by travelers is traveler’s diarrhea, with 63% reporting a bout with this unsettling disease. Next in line was stomach cramping or nausea making up 34% each. Headaches were also fairly common, with more than one-quarter (28%) reporting this experience. Intestinal pain was also experienced by one-quarter of those surveyed.
Among those who say they ever travel (94% of U.S. adults), some 86% bring along OTC medications or supplements when going on a trip. Pain relievers were tops on the list of what to pack (53% take them along), while a quarter or more take along allergy medications, multi-vitamins, anti-diarrheals or heartburn/indigestion aids.
Many people around the world but especially Europeans also will use probiotics to help with traveler’s diarrhea and other ailments. The concept of probiotics, however, is just starting to catch on in the United States with more than three quarters (77%) of those surveyed saying they have never heard of using probiotics to help strengthen their digestive systems and 36 percent saying they have never even heard of probiotics at all.
Come back next month to see what “weird but true” statistics we can surprise you with next.