A team of researchers has looked at 23 studies relating to the health impacts of retreats. Jane Kitchen talks to lead researcher Professor Marc Cohen about the findings
By Jane Kitchen | Published in Spa Business 2018 issue 1
Retreats can lead to long-term health improvements / Syda Productions/shutterstock
Retreat experiences appear to have positive health benefits, including benefits for people with chronic diseases such as multiple sclerosis, cancer, HIV/AIDS, heart conditions and mental health issues. This is according to research conducted by Professor Marc Cohen of RMIT University in Australia and a team of researchers who examined 23 studies relating to the health impacts of immersive residential retreat experiences. The findings were published in January in the journal BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine.
“The findings from the reviewed studies suggest there are many positive health benefits from retreat experiences, which include improvements in both subjective and objective measures,” says Cohen. “It’s likely that improvements in health are due to a combination of psychological and behavioural factors that lead to better coping mechanisms, lifestyle choices, and enhanced resilience to stress.”
The studies involved 2,592 participants from a wide range of geographical and demographic populations – everything from luxury resort guests to unemployed adults and even prison inmates.
Seven studies examined objective outcomes such as blood pressure or biological markers of disease, while 16 had subjective outcomes, mostly involving self-reported questionnaires on psychological and spiritual measures. All of the studies reported post-retreat health benefits ranging from immediately after the retreat to five years after.
“The results suggest that retreat experiences significantly improve people’s lives. This is evident from reported improvements in quality of life and subjective wellbeing, decreases in the frequency and severity of health symptoms, reductions in body weight, blood pressure and abdominal girth, and positive changes in metabolic and neurological pathways,” says Cohen.
Four studies looked at retreats aimed at improving quality of life for cancer patients, and all showed benefits, including improvements in quality of life, depression and anxiety scores, and increased telomere length, with benefits being recorded up to five years post-retreat.
“The finding that retreat experiences can lead to sustained and significant health improvements long after participants return home suggests they help guests make positive lifestyle changes and adopt healthy behaviours,” says Cohen.
He also says that more research is needed, with larger numbers of subjects and longer follow-up periods.
Read more from this issue of Attractions Management magazine
View contents of Attractions Management 2018 issue 1
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A team of researchers has looked at 23 studies relating to the health impacts of retreats. Jane Kitchen talks to lead researcher Professor Marc Cohen about the findings
By Jane Kitchen | Published in Spa Business 2018 issue 1
Retreats can lead to long-term health improvements / Syda Productions/shutterstock
Retreat experiences appear to have positive health benefits, including benefits for people with chronic diseases such as multiple sclerosis, cancer, HIV/AIDS, heart conditions and mental health issues. This is according to research conducted by Professor Marc Cohen of RMIT University in Australia and a team of researchers who examined 23 studies relating to the health impacts of immersive residential retreat experiences. The findings were published in January in the journal BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine.
“The findings from the reviewed studies suggest there are many positive health benefits from retreat experiences, which include improvements in both subjective and objective measures,” says Cohen. “It’s likely that improvements in health are due to a combination of psychological and behavioural factors that lead to better coping mechanisms, lifestyle choices, and enhanced resilience to stress.”
The studies involved 2,592 participants from a wide range of geographical and demographic populations – everything from luxury resort guests to unemployed adults and even prison inmates.
Seven studies examined objective outcomes such as blood pressure or biological markers of disease, while 16 had subjective outcomes, mostly involving self-reported questionnaires on psychological and spiritual measures. All of the studies reported post-retreat health benefits ranging from immediately after the retreat to five years after.
“The results suggest that retreat experiences significantly improve people’s lives. This is evident from reported improvements in quality of life and subjective wellbeing, decreases in the frequency and severity of health symptoms, reductions in body weight, blood pressure and abdominal girth, and positive changes in metabolic and neurological pathways,” says Cohen.
Four studies looked at retreats aimed at improving quality of life for cancer patients, and all showed benefits, including improvements in quality of life, depression and anxiety scores, and increased telomere length, with benefits being recorded up to five years post-retreat.
“The finding that retreat experiences can lead to sustained and significant health improvements long after participants return home suggests they help guests make positive lifestyle changes and adopt healthy behaviours,” says Cohen.
He also says that more research is needed, with larger numbers of subjects and longer follow-up periods.
Read more from this issue of Attractions Management magazine
View contents of Attractions Management 2018 issue 1
Promotional feature: Oakworks
Dafne Berlanga, vice president of international business
development of Oakworks, discusses the importance of sustainability
Hotel de France, located on the British Isle of Jersey, has created a wellness retreat package
that includes a hot yoga session that will take place in Jersey Zoo’s butterfly sanctuary.
A new immersive attraction designed to transport visitors into the final hours of ancient Pompeii
is preparing to open near the world-famous archaeological site in southern Italy.
Experience design company, BRC Imagination Arts, has completed a transition that sees founder
Bob Rogers pass ownership of the business to four long-serving senior executives, while
remaining actively involved with the company.
Movie Park Germany has opened a new Paramount Pictures-themed attraction as part of its 30th
anniversary celebrations, using immersive storytelling and adaptive reuse to reinforce the park’s
longstanding “Hollywood in Germany” positioning.
Therme Manchester’s 28-acre development, which will include interconnected glass pavilions
that measure 65,000sq m, will be the largest bathing and wellbeing attraction in the world once
complete, according to prof David Russell, CEO of Therme UK.
Efteling has opened Hooghmoed, a new family drop tower designed to broaden the appeal of its
recently launched Sirene Island themed area and introduce younger visitors to thrill attractions.
A proposed Puy du Fou development near Bicester and Universal Destinations and Experiences’
planned resort in Bedford are emerging as part of a wider transformation of the Oxford–
Cambridge Growth Corridor into a major centre for UK leisure and tourism inv
Shedd Aquarium has opened the Immersion Theater developed in partnership with SimEx-
Iwerks, as part of a wider strategy to enhance the guest experience and create additional
revenue opportunities.
The UK government has announced a temporary reduction in VAT on visitor attractions and
children’s meals as part of a summer cost-of-living support package designed to stimulate the
visitor economy and encourage family days out.
As designer Yinka Ilori prepares for his first solo gallery show in London, he speaks exclusively
to CLADmag about his mission to spread joy, the power of play, and his bold approach to using
colour (including the colours you won’t see in his work).
The government of Thailand is exploring plans for a THB300bn (£6.3bn, US$8.3bn)
entertainment complex in the country’s Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), with officials
proposing a large-scale theme park and sports destination as part of a broader tourism and
economic development strategy.
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