Characteristics and morbidity patterns of last-minute travelers in Thailand
Issued Date
2024-11-01
Resource Type
ISSN
14778939
eISSN
18730442
Scopus ID
2-s2.0-85207294716
Journal Title
Travel Medicine and Infectious Disease
Volume
62
Rights Holder(s)
SCOPUS
Bibliographic Citation
Travel Medicine and Infectious Disease Vol.62 (2024)
Suggested Citation
Jongsoowiwatwong N., Flaherty G.T., Pisutsan P., Matsee W., Kusolsuk T., Silachamroon U., Piyaphanee W. Characteristics and morbidity patterns of last-minute travelers in Thailand. Travel Medicine and Infectious Disease Vol.62 (2024). doi:10.1016/j.tmaid.2024.102780 Retrieved from: https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/20.500.14594/101829
Title
Characteristics and morbidity patterns of last-minute travelers in Thailand
Corresponding Author(s)
Other Contributor(s)
Abstract
Background: Last-minute travelers (LMTs) present significant challenges for travel health services and are considered vulnerable due to their lack of health preparation. However, there is a lack of data to support this assumption. Methods: The proportion of LMTs was investigated through a cross-sectional study involving all Thai travelers who visited the Thai Travel Clinic before their departure abroad. A prospective study was conducted by enrolling the travelers after the consultation, utilizing two online questionnaires. The first aimed to gather demographic data and categorize participants as either LMTs (if their departure date was ≤14 days) or non-LMTs, while the second assessed travel-related illnesses either upon their return or at the one-month point if their trip exceeded a month. Results: A quarter (25.5 %) of 310 Thai travelers abroad were classified as LMTs. Both LMTs and non-LMTs showed similar gender distributions with mean ages of 35.8 and 35.7 years old, respectively, but LMTs were more likely to travel for tourism, travel in groups, visit countries within Asia and plan shorter stays abroad. Follow-up studies were conducted from July 2023 to February 2024. 452 departed respondents consisted of 150 LMTs and 302 non-LMTs. Although overall health problems were insignificantly higher in LMTs (32.0 % vs 22.0 %, AOR = 1.469, p = 0.107), gastrointestinal and neurological symptoms (primarily headache and dizziness) were significantly more common among LMTs. Conclusions: LMTs represent a significant portion of Thai travelers, posing challenges for travel health specialists in Thailand. Intervention and education efforts may be necessary to address this issue.