International travellers who are obese may face difficulties with flights, hotel access and certain leisure activities, say researchers who suggest the travel industry and travel health specialists should address these issues.
Flaherty and colleagues interviewed 12 patients who were attending a bariatric lifestyle modification program in Ireland. Most were in their 50s and each had a body mass index in the"obese" or"severely obese" category. Participants also sometimes had challenges with accessing hotel rooms and raised concerns about fire evacuation procedures for obese guests. They also faced heat issues in travel destinations with hot weather, and tended to restrict their choices in leisure activities such as historical walking tours. This limited their ability to enjoy activities with family members on the trip.
One interviewee said of international travel, for example,"So suddenly . . . your weight problem really magnifies . . . it just hits you psychologically and physically." "Obesity is a subject which unfortunately tends to get ignored in some clinical settings, but this does not serve the needs of the patient well," Flaherty said."An open and supportive discussion about the potential challenges faced by the obese traveler would surely benefit them."