While it’s often been said that good things come in small parcels, recent research seems to suggest that it may not be so good to begin life as a really small parcel.
A study of death figures of over 300,000 Swedish men published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health has concluded that babies less than 47cm long at birth were more likely to attempt suicide as adults.
The significance of these results and whether they relate only to this particular country in Scandinavia is yet to be determined; but another strange northern hemisphere fact has also recently emerged.
International studies in the past have found that people from The Netherlands are the tallest people in the world. In the twenty years to 2000 the average height of Dutch men increased by more than 2.5cm. However, figures just released by the Dutch Central Bureau for statistics showed the average height of men in The Netherlands has stabilised at 1.8m – about 5’11”.
Being tall might generally be considered an advantage, but there are times when height at the upper extreme can be quite uncomfortable. For instance, it’s most unlikely that KLM (Royal Dutch Airlines) offer any extra leg room to their lanky economy class passengers.
As a society we are getting fatter not fitter, so airline travel might be becoming a more risky pastime, more because of the width than the length of our bodies.
Being overweight or obese increases our risk of DVT (deep vein thrombosis). DVT is a blood clot occurring in the leg – a potentially quite serious condition which can develop when setting or lying still for a long time. There are other factors which increase the risk as well – being aged over 40, having had recent surgery or an injury, being pregnant or being a smoker.
Of course being a smoker has risks far greater than DVT, but maybe, given the fact that airline flights are all non-smoking flights, having to take an airline flight gives all smokers both an opportunity and an inclination to quit. Perhaps nicotine lozenges could be given out on take-off as an alternative to the boiled lollies.
Staying in good health while travelling is one challenge. Health issues may need to be addressed even after you arrive.
For example, fatigue and sleep disturbance are the expected symptoms of jet lag; but irritability, poor concentration, poor appetite and upset stomach are also all possible when we move across time zones.
Travellers’ diarrhoea is very common – usually caused by eating or drinking contaminated food, water or ice.
Some destinations are more of a health hazard than others. With global warming and climate change now more a reality than just a suspicion, tropical diseases such as the mosquito-borne malaria and dengue fever are becoming more of a danger.
The length of our bodies at birth and the height to which we finally grow, are beyond our personal control. We can, however, travel through life with a degree of comfort and safety by attention to a little detail.
The new Travel Health fact card provides the necessary advice. It’s available from pharmacies throughout Australia offering the Self Care health information. Phone the Pharmaceutical Society on 1 300 369 772 for the nearest location.
