title: [Prior health advice to immigrants who travel to visit family and friends].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Immigrants who make or plan journeys to visit their families in their countries of origin (immigrants -visiting friends and relatives, I-VFR) have a higher risk of acquiring travel-associated diseases than other travellers. The main aim of this study is to analyse the knowledge of the immigrant population on the need to receive health advice (HA) before making international journeys in general and in particular before travelling to their country of origin.
  
  
  METHODS
  Observational, multicentre study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ten Family Doctors from 10 Health Centres in Catalonia and Aragon participated
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 555 immigrants ≥ 15 years of age, who consulted their Family Doctor and agreed to answer a questionnaire. Opportunity sampling was used.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 389 (70.1%) of those surveyed considered it necessary to receive HA before making an international journey, 406 (73.2%) were I-VFR and 145 (35.7%) had requested HA prior to the journey, mostly from their Family Doctor (n=60; 41.1%). Almost two-thirds (261, 65.2%) of the subjects did not seek HA, with the most common reason being that they did not consider it necessary (173, 42.6%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  I-VFR do not usually request HA prior to travelling, basic due to considering it unnecessary. When they do request it, they are very often initially directed to their Family Doctor.
authors: Comisió de Cooperació i Salut Internacional (Cocoopsi), Societat Catalana de Medicina Familiar i Comunitària (CAMFiC), Cataluña, España. Electronic address: croca.bcn.ics@gencat.cat.
authors: Carme
authors: C
authors: Roca
authors: Comisió de Cooperació i Salut Internacional (Cocoopsi), Societat Catalana de Medicina Familiar i Comunitària (CAMFiC), Cataluña, España.
authors: Anna
authors: A
authors: Aguilar
authors: Comisió de Cooperació i Salut Internacional (Cocoopsi), Societat Catalana de Medicina Familiar i Comunitària (CAMFiC), Cataluña, España.
authors: Lluís
authors: L
authors: Valerio
authors: Comisió de Cooperació i Salut Internacional (Cocoopsi), Societat Catalana de Medicina Familiar i Comunitària (CAMFiC), Cataluña, España.
authors: Lluís
authors: L
authors: Solsona
authors: Comisió de Cooperació i Salut Internacional (Cocoopsi), Societat Catalana de Medicina Familiar i Comunitària (CAMFiC), Cataluña, España.
authors: Clara
authors: C
authors: Carrasco
authors: Grupo de atención al inmigrante, Sociedad Aragonesa de Medicina Familiar y Comunitaria (SAMFyC), Grupo de trabajo Inmigración y Salud, Sociedad Española de Medicina Familiar y Comunitaria (SEMFyC), España.
authors: Luis Andrés
authors: LA
authors: Gimeno-Feliu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003376:Counseling; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D033062:Friends; D006266:Health Education; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011314:Preventive Health Services; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014195:Travel
keywords: Consejo sanitario; Health Advice; Immigrants; Inmigrantes; Travellers; Viajeros; Visiting friends and relatives