Division of Epidemiology and Prevention of Communicable Diseases, Travel Clinic, Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
J Travel Med. 2014 Sep-Oct;21(5):324-31. doi: 10.1111/jtm.12139. Epub 2014 Jun 17.
Globally, the Swiss have one of the highest proportions of the population traveling to tropical and subtropical countries. Large travel clinics serve an increasing number of customers with specific pre-travel needs including uncommon destinations and preexisting medical conditions. This study aims to identify health characteristics and travel patterns of travelers seeking advice in the largest Swiss travel clinic so that tailored advice can be delivered.
A descriptive analysis was performed on pre-travel visits between July 2010 and August 2012 at the Travel Clinic of the Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Zurich, Switzerland.
A total of 22,584 travelers sought pre-travel advice. Tourism was the main reason for travel (17,875, 81.5%), followed by visiting friends and relatives (VFRs; 1,715, 7.8%), traveling for business (1,223, 5.6%), and "other reasons" (ie, volunteer work, pilgrimage, study abroad, and emigration; 1,112, 5.1%). The main travel destination was Thailand. In the VFR group, the highest proportions of traveling children (258, 15.1%) and of pregnant or breastfeeding women (23, 3.9%) were observed. Mental disorders were more prominent in VFRs (93, 5.4%) and in travel for "other reasons" (63, 5.7%). The latter stayed for the longest periods abroad; 272 (24.9%) stayed longer than 6 months. VFR travelers received the highest percentage of yellow fever vaccinations (523, 30.5%); in contrast, rabies (269, 24.2%) and typhoid vaccinations (279, 25.1%) were given more often to the "other travel reasons" group.
New insights into the characteristics of a selected and large population of Swiss international travelers results in improved understanding of the special needs of an increasingly diverse population and, thus, in targeted preventive advice and interventions.
在全球范围内，瑞士人前往热带和亚热带国家的比例位居前列。大型旅行诊所为数以千计有特殊旅行需求的顾客（包括前往不常见目的地和有既往病史的顾客）提供服务。本研究旨在明确在瑞士最大旅行诊所寻求咨询的旅行者的健康特征和旅行模式，以便提供有针对性的建议。
采用描述性分析方法，对 2010 年 7 月至 2012 年 8 月期间瑞士苏黎世大学社会与预防医学研究所旅行诊所的旅行者进行了分析。
共有 22584 名旅行者寻求旅行前咨询。旅游是旅行的主要原因（17875 人，占 81.5%），其次是探亲访友（1715 人，占 7.8%）、商务旅行（1223 人，占 5.6%）和“其他原因”（即志愿工作、朝圣、出国留学和移民；1112 人，占 5.1%）。主要旅行目的地是泰国。在探亲访友组中，旅行儿童（258 人，占 15.1%）和孕妇或哺乳期妇女（23 人，占 3.9%）的比例最高。精神障碍在探亲访友者（93 人，占 5.4%）和因其他原因旅行的旅行者（63 人，占 5.7%）中更为突出。后者在国外停留时间最长；272 人（24.9%）停留时间超过 6 个月。探亲访友旅行者接受黄热病疫苗接种的比例最高（523 人，占 30.5%）；相比之下，狂犬病（269 人，占 24.2%）和伤寒疫苗接种（279 人，占 25.1%）则更多地用于“其他旅行原因”组。
本研究深入了解了选定的瑞士国际旅行者的特征，这有助于更好地了解日益多样化人群的特殊需求，从而提供有针对性的预防建议和干预措施。
