Assessment of Knowledge, Attitude and Practice in Relation to Travel Health among Travelers in Qassim Region

Abstract

Background and Aim: The international traveling is annually growing and is expected to reach 1.6 billion travelers in 2020. The risk of infectious diseases during traveling are not only related to the destination and duration of the trip, but also the personal health. The risk of these diseases not limited to the traveler, it’s also a risk for the community. The risk can be reduced by taking some pre-traveling, travelling and post-traveling precautions. In general, only about 10% of the travelers usually consult a travel-health specialist. This study aim to determine the level of travel health knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) among Saudi travelers at Prince Nayef international airport and to identify their source of travel health-related information. Methods: A cross sectional study conducted at Prince Nayef International Airport in Qassim Region from 10-17 January 2018. A total of 535 travelers aged 18-60 years old had been voluntarily recruited in this study. We used the questionnaires regarding the knowledge, attitude and practices of travel health among travelers published by Neika Vendetti. Results: Males were dominated the females with 62.8% versus 37.2%. Family and friends were the main source of general travel advice (64.5%). Poor and adequate knowledge constituted 84.3% and 15.7% respectively. Regarding attitude, 50.3% and 49.7% of respondents had positive and negative attitude respectively. For travel practice 86.0% and 14.0% acquired poor and good practice respectively. Conclusion: This study found that most travelers were having poor knowledge and practices toward pre-travel medical advice. Many of the travelers don’t seek pre-travel medical advice.