Brooks Gump (PH) PI
Extramural Sponsored Project – Project Time Off
Recent years have seen a decline in the American Vacation with many workers in the United States failing to fully utilize the paid time off from work that is available to them. The Vacationing and Health Study is a one-year project funded by Project Time Off that aims to examine the psychological, social, and physical well-being changes that occur as a result of vacationing as well as the potentially costly effects of not taking time off from work. The study consists of three appointments at Syracuse University. All three appointments involve a venous blood draw, questionnaires regarding stress and psychological functioning, a blood pressure and heart rate fluctuation reading, and body measurements (such as waist circumference) as well as a hair sample.
Dr. Brooks Gump, Principal Investigator for this study and Falk Family Endowed Professor of Public Health at Syracuse University states “We frequently research the health effects of stressors and negative events, surprisingly, there is very little research on the potential health effects of positive events and activities. This study will be one of the first to address the question – do vacations affect our health? And, if so, which kinds of vacations?” Recruitment for the study is ongoing with a target goal of collecting data from 65 full time employed adults eligible for paid time off.