Factors associated with risk behavior in travelers to tropical and subtropical regions.
BACKGROUND
Recent decades have seen a rise in population movements and, therefore, the spread of tropical diseases and changes in the epidemiology of global disease patterns. Only 50% of travelers to tropical areas receive pre-travel advice and most of them present risk behaviors for acquiring infections. The aim of this study was to describe the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of travelers and identify factors associated with risk behaviors.


METHODS
We made a retrospective, descriptive and analytical study of 772 travelers consulting a tropical medicine clinic in Barcelona in 2010. Data on demographic and clinical variables, travel characteristics and risk behaviors were collected.


RESULTS
Among all travelers studied, 65.8% (466/708) received pre-travel advice and 30.7% (209/680) took malaria prophylaxis. At least one risk behavior was reported by 82.6% (587/711) of travelers. People traveling for 1-6 months had a 3-fold higher likelihood of experiencing risk behaviors than people traveling for <1 month (95% CI 1.54-5.81, p=0.001), and those traveling for >6 months had a 13-fold higher likelihood (95% CI 3.11-56.14, p<0.001) compared with the same group. Increasing age was associated with presenting less risk behaviors.


CONCLUSIONS
Younger travelers and those making longer trips have a higher number of risk behaviors. Strategies emphasizing advice on risk behavior should focus on these groups.
Preventive Medicine and Epidemiology Department, Hospital Clínic, Villarroel 170, 08036 Barcelona, Spain maldea@clinic.ub.es.
Marta
M
Aldea
Preventive Medicine and Epidemiology Department, Hospital Clínic, Villarroel 170, 08036 Barcelona, Spain.
Alberto L
AL
García-Basteiro
Barcelona Centre for International Health Research (CRESIB, Hospital Clínic-Universitat de Barcelona), Rosselló 132, 08036 Barcelona, Spain International Health Centre, Hospital Clínic, Villarroel 170, 08036 Barcelona, Spain.
Jose
J
Muñoz
Barcelona Centre for International Health Research (CRESIB, Hospital Clínic-Universitat de Barcelona), Rosselló 132, 08036 Barcelona, Spain International Health Centre, Hospital Clínic, Villarroel 170, 08036 Barcelona, Spain.
Joaquim
J
Gascón
Barcelona Centre for International Health Research (CRESIB, Hospital Clínic-Universitat de Barcelona), Rosselló 132, 08036 Barcelona, Spain International Health Centre, Hospital Clínic, Villarroel 170, 08036 Barcelona, Spain.
Edelweiss
E
Aldasoro
Barcelona Centre for International Health Research (CRESIB, Hospital Clínic-Universitat de Barcelona), Rosselló 132, 08036 Barcelona, Spain International Health Centre, Hospital Clínic, Villarroel 170, 08036 Barcelona, Spain.
Azucena
A
Bardají
Preventive Medicine and Epidemiology Department, Hospital Clínic, Villarroel 170, 08036 Barcelona, Spain Barcelona Centre for International Health Research (CRESIB, Hospital Clínic-Universitat de Barcelona), Rosselló 132, 08036 Barcelona, Spain Public Health Department, University of Barcelona, Casanova 143, 08036 Barcelona, Spain.
Anna
A
Vilella
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D003376:Counseling; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008288:Malaria / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D013030:Spain; D014195:Travel; D014329:Tropical Climate; D014330:Tropical Medicine
Emigration and immigration; Risk behavior; Travel; Tropical medicine