title: Pre-travel counselling in Greece for travellers visiting friends and relatives.
abstract: Pre-travel services are underused by travellers visiting friends and relatives (VFRs). The objective of this study was to define the proportion and the profile of VFRs who seek pre-travel counselling in Greece. The study was conducted prospectively, from July, 2005 to December, 2007, in seven Health Departments of the Prefectures in Athens and Attica, where 35.6% of the Greek population resides; migrants account for 17% and 8% of the population in these areas, respectively. 2548 travellers seeking pre-travel advice were studied; 23 (0.9%) were identified as VFRs. Children younger than 15 years accounted for 30.4% of VFRs, compared to 2.3% among non-VFRs. VFRs were younger than non-VFRs (mean ages: 29.9 versus 40.4 years, respectively). A comparison of VFRs with non-VFRs revealed that VFRs travelled for longer periods of time, stayed at local people's home more frequently (87% versus 15.5%), and travelled on an organized trip less frequently (4.3% versus 54.6%). Considering the fact that 36,056 VFRs travelled from Greece to Africa and Asia during 2005-2007, and that only 1 out of 700 VFRs to these destinations pre-travel advice in Greece, communication strategies to access efficiently this group of travellers should be explored urgently.
authors.affiliation: Office for Travel Medicine, Hellenic Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Androula
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pavli
authors.forename: Panagiotis
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Katerelos
authors.forename: Ioannis N
authors.initials: IN
authors.lastname: Pierroutsakos
authors.forename: Helen C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Maltezou
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000368:Aged; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003376:Counseling; D005260:Female; D006115:Greece; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014195:Travel; D014611:Vaccination