Journal of Epidemiology and Global Health

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Volume 6, Issue 2, June 2016, Pages 67 - 75

Knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding travel health among Muscat International Airport travelers in Oman: Identifying the gaps and addressing the challenges

Authors
Seif S. Al-Abria, Doaa M. Abdel-Hadyb, c, *, doaahady2000@gmail.com, Idris S. Al-Abaidanib
aDirectorate general of disease surveillance and control, Ministry of health, Muscat, Oman
bDepartment of Communicable Diseases, Ministry of health, Muscat, Oman
cFaculty of Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt
*Corresponding author at: Department of Communicable Diseases, Ministry of health, P.O. Box 393, Muscat 100, Oman.
Corresponding Author
Doaa M. Abdel-Hadydoaahady2000@gmail.com
Received 22 December 2015, Revised 1 February 2016, Accepted 12 February 2016, Available Online 3 March 2016.
DOI
10.1016/j.jegh.2016.02.003How to use a DOI?
Keywords
Immunization; Oman; Travelers; Travel health; Travel medicine; Vaccine
Abstract

Although the majority of travel-associated communicable diseases can be prevented, the public health burden of these diseases remains significant. Relatively little is known about how travelers know and perceive the health risks associated with travel and how they utilize preventive measures before and while traveling abroad. This study was conducted to determine the level of the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of Muscat International Airport travelers about travel health in order to assess the knowledge gap and the need for travel health services in Oman. A cross-sectional study was conducted over a period of 1 week using a self-administered questionnaire. The overall level of knowledge about vaccine-preventable diseases, food safety, and preventive measures against insect bites of the participants was inadequate. The practice concerning preventive travel health measures, such as the use of specific immunizations and antimalarial prophylaxis, was very limited, and influenced by some personal and travel-related factors. The inadequate level of travelers’ knowledge and poor utilization of travel medicine services highlights the need for the provisions of specialized travel medicine services at the national level and to develop educational materials promoting the importance of pre-travel health advice.

Copyright
© 2016 Ministry of Health, Saudi Arabia, Production and hosting by Elsevier Ltd.
Open Access
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

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<Previous Article In Issue
Next Article In Issue>
Journal
Journal of Epidemiology and Global Health
Volume-Issue
6 - 2
Pages
67 - 75
Publication Date
2016/03/03
ISSN (Online)
2210-6014
ISSN (Print)
2210-6006
DOI
10.1016/j.jegh.2016.02.003How to use a DOI?
Copyright
© 2016 Ministry of Health, Saudi Arabia, Production and hosting by Elsevier Ltd.
Open Access
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

Cite this article

risenwbib
TY  - JOUR
AU  - Seif S. Al-Abri
AU  - Doaa M. Abdel-Hady
AU  - Idris S. Al-Abaidani
PY  - 2016
DA  - 2016/03/03
TI  - Knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding travel health among Muscat International Airport travelers in Oman: Identifying the gaps and addressing the challenges
JO  - Journal of Epidemiology and Global Health
SP  - 67
EP  - 75
VL  - 6
IS  - 2
SN  - 2210-6014
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jegh.2016.02.003
DO  - 10.1016/j.jegh.2016.02.003
ID  - Al-Abri2016
ER  -