Guest Post: Unexpected Impact of Sickness on a Trip

VACATION ILLNESSES CAN COST MORE THAN MISSED FUN

New Culturelle Survey Details the Unexpected Impact of Sickness on a Trip

One often hears that the day before Thanksgiving is the busiest travel day of the year. Not so. Most summer weekends far surpass holidays in terms of travel volume. In 2011, nearly 185 million Americans took summer vacations, and that number is only expected to rise in 2012. But what can ruin a getaway that may have taken months of saving and planning? Illness. A recent study commissioned by Culturelle® Probiotic, a leading national probiotic supplement brand, found that nearly half (47%) of vacationing families reported having had a child get sick on vacation, resulting in costs to the vacation budget, as well as the highly-anticipated fun.

Culturelle, which restores the natural balance of good bacteria in the digestive tract to help alleviate occasional digestive upset and support a child’s own natural defenses, conducted the study to provide information on family digestive health while traveling.* The survey found the unexpectedly high cost of lost deposits and missed opportunities as a result of a child’s tummy woes; $1,750, with more than a third of respondents reporting losses greater than $2,000.

But money lost is not the only repercussion described by those surveyed. Nearly a quarter of families reported having had their vacations negatively impacted by digestive health issues, including having to miss or cancel pre-planned activities, cutting a vacation short to return home early, spending time finding medical care or having a parent stay behind with a fussing child while others took in the sites.

“When traveling, families are exposed to all sorts of different germs and bacteria,” says Dr. Erika Landau, practicing pediatrician, Assistant Clinical Professor at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and the author of The Essential Guide to Baby’s First Year, “from the confined space of a plane, to the person sitting next to you at a restaurant, to the food and water you consume.”**

The financial and emotional cost of a child’s vacation illness can be overwhelming, and it is no wonder that one out of every four respondents said they had returned from a vacation more stressed than when they left. Fortunately, there are measures that can be taken to help relieve these stressors.

“To maintain your child’s healthy digestive tract during travel, I recommend they take a probiotic that has a scientifically researched strain for use in children, such as Culturelle, which contains 100% Lactobacillus GG. When taken at the onset of the problem, it increases the amount of good bacteria in the system and can help reduce upset,” says Dr. Landau who also stresses that “it is important that the whole family travels smartly and takes precautions such as frequently washing their hands, avoiding tap water and ice when traveling internationally and eating only pasteurized products.” ** As an additional precaution, Culturelle can be taken several days before travel, to help reduce the chance of encountering digestive upset.

While vacation illnesses are common and can be costly, these easy and inexpensive measures can help keep families healthy during the summer holidays. Culturelle is a natural solution for better digestive and immune health, and currently offers portable packets of probiotics for the whole family that can easily be tucked into luggage to address the excitement, over-eating and other travel-related factors to avoid a trip that includes that dreaded phrase, “my tummy hurts.”*

Survey Methodology:
This survey was conducted online within the United States by ORC International on behalf of Culturelle Probiotic from February 16th, 2012 among 1,000 U.S. adults ages 18 and older. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore, no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

About Culturelle
Culturelle® Kids Probiotic Packets is the #1 pediatrician recommended probiotic supplement brand for children.1 It is the only probiotic supplement in the U.S. containing 100% Lactobacillus GG, one of the most scientifically studied probiotic strains for digestive health and immune support.* It restores the natural balance of good bacteria in the digestive tract to help alleviate occasional digestive distress as well as support a child’s own natural defenses.*

1 Based on a 2010 survey among pediatricians recommending a probiotic brand.
**Dr. Erika Landau is a paid spokesperson for Culturelle. Her opinions are her own.

*This statement has not been evaluated by the Food & Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.