OBJECTIVE: This scoping review aimed to identify and describe existing studies on pretravel health services provided by CPs, and the barriers, and facilitators.
METHODS: The PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, and Web of Science databases were searched for pertinent studies from their inception to February 2023. A manual search was also conducted of prominent travel medicine journals, Google Scholar, and the reference lists of the included studies. Potential barriers and facilitators were mapped to the 14 domains of the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF).
RESULTS: There were twelve studies included in the review. Pretravel health advice was the most prevalent form of pretravel health services. Within ten domains of the TDF, various factors that either facilitate or impede the provision of pretravel health services by CPs were identified.
CONCLUSION: The provision of pretravel health services by CPs may be affected by a number of practitioner and organizational factors. The provision of pretravel health services can be facilitated by informational resources, training and education in travel medicine, and collaboration amongst healthcare providers.
STUDY DESIGN: A mixed method study comprising a cross-sectional survey was carried out with trekkers who had completed trekking in the Annapurna region.
METHODS: Interviews were carried out with trekkers using a standardised questionnaire from September to December (main trekking season) 2014 and 2016. The interview format included trekkers' demographic characteristics, travel patterns, preparation and logistics and experiences of illness and treatment.
RESULTS: The demographic composition of trekkers had changed. Chinese and Nepalese trekkers were the most dominant groups along with other international trekkers from 16 different countries. In terms of the trekking pattern, the Chinese and the Nepalese trekkers spent a median of 7 days each in the trek and trekked to a median altitude of 3500 m, while other international trekkers spent a median of 10 days and trekked to a median altitude of 4000 m. In general, trekkers' food habits and travel patterns were good. They undertook some health preparation by using the Internet, consulting friends and travel guidebooks and consulting a doctor, pharmacist and other healthcare providers and brought medicines accordingly. However, 25% of trekkers, most commonly Chinese, Korean and Nepalese, came without any health preparation and with no medicines. Thirty percent of the trekkers became sick during the trek with common illnesses such as diarrhoea, vomiting, the common cold, headache, fever and altitude-related symptoms.
CONCLUSIONS: Trekkers' demographic composition has changed from that found in previous studies, and this was reflected in their trekking pattern. Trekkers' health preparations for high-altitude trekking were still inadequate, especially among the newer groups such as the Nepalese, Chinese and Korean trekkers. Issues such as trekkers' health preparation and practice, eating patterns, the length of trek and altitude and health and safety provision need further improvement, especially in the context of these changing trekker demographics.
METHODS: A multistage cluster sampling method was conducted on Malaysian Umrah pilgrims during the weekly Umrah orientation course. A total of 200 Umrah pilgrims participated in the study. The knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) questionnaire was distributed to pilgrims at the beginning of the orientation and retrieved immediately at the end of the orientation. Data analysis was done using R version 3.5.0 after data entry into SPSS 24. The robust maximum likelihood was used for the estimation due to the multivariate normality assumption violation. A two-factor model was tested for measurement model validity and construct validity for each of the attitude and practice domains.
RESULTS: CFA of a 25-item in total, the two-factor model yielded adequate goodness-of-fit values. The measurement model also showed good convergent and discriminant validity after model re-specification. A two-factor model was tested for measurement model validity and construct validity for each of the attitude and practice domains. The result also showed a statistically significant value (p