Health Problems of International Travellers in States of Karnataka and Goa, India- A Cross Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: International travel is undertaken by large, and increasing, numbers of people for professional,
social, recreational and humanitarian purposes. Travellers are an epidemiologically important population
because of their motility, potential for exposure to diseases outside their home country. According to Tourism
statistics 2017, around 2,47,07,732 numbers of International travellers visited India in 2016. Hence, it is
important to assess the health problems of travellers.
Objectives: 1. To assess the health problems of International Travelers in Karnataka and Goa, India.
2. To evaluate the relationship between the travel characteristics, individual behavior and travel health
problems.
Methods: A Cross-sectional study was conducted for a duration of one year among 400 international
travellers selected by convenience sampling at tourist places of states of Karnataka and Goa. A pretested,
semi-structured questionnaire was administered to collect information about demographic and travel
characteristics, individual behaviour and health problems during travel.
Results: Among 400 international travellers, 51.5% (206) were males and 48.5% (194) were females, with
majority of the participants belonging to the age group of 25 to 45years. 41.5% of the participants reported
health problems, most common being fever, upper respiratory symptoms and diarrhoea.
Conclusion: Nearly half of the participants reported health problems, 28% of them were relying on selfmedication for the health problem(s) and majority of them were preventable. Hence it is important to
consider the need of travel health clinics in places with high frequency of tourist arrivals.