title: Awareness, practices, and health problems of backpackers traveling during flooding in Thailand during 2011.
abstract: During late 2011, Thailand experienced its worst flooding in 50 years with over 4.6 million people directly affected. During the flooding we conducted a cross sectional survey of backpackers in the Khao San Road area of Bangkok to determine awareness, practices, and their incidence of health problems during the flooding. A total of 422 subjects completed questionnaires which were analyzed. Seventy percent were European and 12.3% were North American. The overall median age was 27 years and the median stay in Thailand was 22 days. Most of the backpackers were aware of the flooding in Thailand; some had sought travel health information prior to their trip from various sources including the internet, their family physician or a travel clinic. However, even in travel clinics specific health advice related to flooding, such as leptospirosis risk/prevention, was rarely given to travelers. Fifteen point four percent of subjects (65/422) had come into contact with floodwater; 30.8% of those (20/65) washed their feet/legs afterward. Our findings indicate most backpackers were inadequately aware of potential health hazards, such as leptospirosis, during the floods.
authors: Department of Clinical Tropical Medicine, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University Bangkok, Thailand. watcharapong.piy@mahidol.ac.th
authors: Watcharapong
authors: W
authors: Piyaphanee
authors: Jutarmas
authors: J
authors: Olanwijitwong
authors: Teera
authors: T
authors: Kusolsuk
authors: Udomsak
authors: U
authors: Silachamroon
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001364:Awareness; D054626:Consumer Health Information / Q000379:methods; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D055868:Floods; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013785:Thailand / Q000453:epidemiology; D014195:Travel / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult