경상남도 웰니스관광의 염증면역지표, 자율신경균형, 정서, 피로, 스트레스, 삶의 질 및 수면의 질 개선에 미치는 단기효과

• Published in: Journal of the Korean Society of Integrative Medicine Vol. 9; no. 3; pp. 19 - 35
• Main Authors: 이새롬, 이예리, 이상엽, Lee, Sae-Rom, Lee, Ye-Li, Lee, Sang-Yeoup
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Korean
• Published: 대한통합의학회 01.08.2021
• Subjects: 예방의학; wellness tour; heart rate variability; survey scales; inflammatory tests
• ISSN: 2288-1174; 2383-9651

Purpose : Recently, there has been a growing social interest in aging well. Consequently, wellness tourism has begun to attract attention. However, no studies on whether wellness tourism has any objective health benefits have been carried out yet. In this study, we assess the health benefits as well as the degree of improvement in health of a wellness tourism program. Methods : The study involved 30 adults over the age of 19 who live in the Gyeongsangnam-do region. Participants were evaluated on health indicator before and after participating in wellness tourism program. Participants took heart rate variability (HRV) test, and LFT, RFT, CBC, FBS HbA1C, and CRP test were conducted before and after the tour. Additionally, a survey was conducted before and after the program, and participant satisfaction was evaluated. Statistical differences in the tests conducted before and after the program were analyzed using a design t-test, a Wilcoxon signed-rank test, and McNemar's test. Results : The study showed that participants were very satisfied with and had significant health improvements after the wellness tourism program. The program was also found to be beneficial in improving participants' emotions as follows: BDI (p<.001), fatigue recovery (p=.006), stress relief (p=.003), improved quality of life (p<.05), and improved sleep quality (p<.001). Conclusion : Wellness tourism programs are specifically beneficial for improving participants' emotions (depression, anxiety), fatigue, stress levels, quality of life, and sleep. Therefore, they are beneficial to the overall health. Further research in the future by way of a follow-up study on the long-term effects on health after short-term interventions will provide more validation data.