TY - JOUR ID - 33159 TI - An Analysis of the Preventive Behavior and Attitudes of International Travelers from South East Asia; the Kuala Lumpur Airport Survey JO - International Journal of Travel Medicine and Global Health JA - IJTMGH LA - en SN - 2322-1100 AU - Flaherty, Gerard AU - Asyraf Maarof, Muhammad AU - Fry, Graham AD - School of Medicine, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland AD - Tropical Medical Bureau, Dublin, Ireland Y1 - 2015 PY - 2015 VL - 3 IS - 1 SP - 5 EP - 9 KW - Travel Health KW - Vaccinations KW - Risk Assessment KW - Tropical Infection KW - Chemoprophylaxis KW - Airport Survey DO - 10.20286/ijtmgh-03011 N2 - Introduction: There has been significant growth in international tourism from South-East Asia. Travel medicine services are still quite limited in this region. Few data exists on the knowledge, attitudes and practices of travelers from South-East Asia regarding the prevention of travel-related health risks. The present study aimed to characterize the travel trends and risk reduction strategies of international travelers departing from a major Malaysian airport. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey among international travelers at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport. A questionnaire recorded data on the demographic profile, travel patterns, travel health protective measures, sources of pre-travel health advice, personal perception of travel-related risk, and barriers to seeking health advice, travel vaccinations and malaria chemoprophylaxis. Results: 36.8% of respondents had sought pre-travel health advice, mostly (64.7%) from their doctor. 23.6% of the travelers had received travel vaccinations. 40% of travelers were uninsured and over 50% did not know how to access medical care overseas. The survey revealed deficiencies in the risk perception of travelers regarding endemic infectious diseases such as malaria, dengue, and rabies. A minority of the travelers reported an intention to avoid unsafe food and water, inform themselves of local disease outbreaks, pack a first-aid kit, and protect themselves from animal and mosquito bites. Conclusions: This study highlights areas of concern in relation to the knowledge and behavior of the travelers surveyed and points to the need for raising public awareness in South-East Asia of the risks associated with international travel and the most efficient means of mitigating those risks.  UR - https://www.ijtmgh.com/article_33159.html L1 - https://www.ijtmgh.com/article_33159_aaa5cf6adc0e90349775643d3dc34522.pdf ER -