title: HAV & HBV vaccination among travellers participating in the National Health and Wellness Survey in five European countries.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A main cause of hepatitis A and B infections in European countries is travel to endemic countries. Most research on hepatitis vaccination among travellers from Europe has been conducted in airports or travel clinics, samples which potentially overrepresented frequent travellers.
  
  
  METHODS
  2102 respondents across France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and UK completed an internet-based questionnaire. Vaccination status, travel to endemic countries, and other characteristics were compared across frequent, occasional, and non-travellers. Logistic regressions tested association between vaccination and travel adjusting for potential confounders.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Most respondents were occasional travellers (61%) and 24% were frequent travellers. Frequent travellers had 2.3-2.4 times the odds of being vaccinated relative to non-travellers, and odds of vaccination were 2.5-3.1 times higher among travellers to endemic areas relative to others (all p < .05). Frequent travellers were more aware of their vaccination status (HAV: 80% vs. 72%; HBV: 82% vs. 74%), though many who were vaccinated could not identify the number of injections to complete the series (47% vs. 29%) (all p < .05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Travel frequency and destination endemicity are associated with increased hepatitis A and B vaccination. The number of unvaccinated travellers and the lack of recall for the dosing schedule suggest the need to improve travellers' awareness and adherence to recommendations.
authors.affiliation: Kantar Health, 19-31 Church Street, Epsom KT17 4PF, UK.
authors.forename: Riccardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pedersini
authors.affiliation: GSK Vaccines, 20 Avenue Fleming, 1300, Wavre, Belgium.
authors.forename: Cinzia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Marano
authors.affiliation: GSK Vaccines, 20 Avenue Fleming, 1300, Wavre, Belgium.
authors.forename: Laurence
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: De Moerlooze
authors.affiliation: Mount Auburn Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Kantar Health, 700 Dresher Road, Horsham, 19044, PA, USA. Electronic address: jeffrey.vietri@kantarhealth.com.
authors.forename: Jeffrey
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vietri
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D019353:Endemic Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control; D005060:Europe / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006306:Health Surveys; D006506:Hepatitis A / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000821:virology; D022362:Hepatitis A Vaccines; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000821:virology; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012044:Regression Analysis; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014195:Travel; D014611:Vaccination / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
chemical_list: D022362:Hepatitis A Vaccines; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines
keywords: Frequent travellers; HAV; HBV; Hepatitis; Vaccines