Author(s): Estrada, Joana ; Conceição, Cláudia ; Augusto, Gonçalo Figueiredo ; Teodósio, Rosa
Date: 2024
Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/10362/175368
Origin: Repositório Institucional da UNL
Subject(s): knowledge; pre-travel consultations; travel medicine; traveler’s diarrhea; Immunology and Microbiology(all); Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health; Infectious Diseases; SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being
Publisher Copyright: © 2024 by the authors.
Traveler’s diarrhea (TD) is one of the most common travel-related health problems, largely interfering with planned activities and potentially contributing to antimicrobial resistance. This study aimed to characterize the knowledge about TD among pre-travel consultation users of one Portuguese travel clinic and determine the impact of the consultation on knowledge levels. Using a quasi-experimental, separate-sample pretest–posttest design, participants were randomly assigned to two groups: control/pre-consultation group (CG) or experimental/post-consultation group (EG). An anonymous self-administered questionnaire was used. A total of 470 participants were analyzed (227 CG; 243 EG). The EG/post-consultation group showed significant improvement in knowledge, with correct answers increasing from 63% to 75% (p < 0.001). However, knowledge gaps persisted: over 50% were unaware of TD’s self-limited nature, 30% did not recognize loperamide as a symptom reliever, and 36% believed all travelers should take antibiotics to prevent TD. The educational level and previous travel outside Europe influenced baseline knowledge; previous travel medicine consultations and information on TD improved knowledge in both groups and made it easier to acquire knowledge on the subject. Thus, a pre-travel consultation effectively increased travelers’ TD knowledge. However, post-consultation knowledge levels remained suboptimal, indicating the need for targeted interventions to increase travelers’ literacy and optimize pre-travel consultations.
