dc.contributor.author | Friedli, Karin | |
dc.contributor.author | Wyler, Naomi | |
dc.contributor.author | Green, Samira | |
dc.contributor.author | Boddington, Nicola | |
dc.contributor.author | Davies, Claire | |
dc.contributor.author | Lankester, Ted | |
dc.date.accessioned | 2013-03-14T13:39:44Z | |
dc.date.available | 2013-03-14T13:39:44Z | |
dc.date.issued | 2012-07 | |
dc.identifier.citation | Friedli , K , Wyler , N , Green , S , Boddington , N , Davies , C & Lankester , T 2012 , ' Travel related illness in short-term volunteers from the UK to developing countries. ' , Travel Medicine and Infectious Disease , vol. 10 , no. 4 , pp. 172-8 . https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmaid.2012.04.002 | |
dc.identifier.issn | 1477-8939 | |
dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/2299/10152 | |
dc.description.abstract | People of all ages volunteer in developing countries, but little is known about the health risks they face. InterHealth, a travel clinic, provides a health screening service for short-term overseas volunteers. A cross-sectional study design was used to analyse 413 post-travel health questionnaires completed between February and November 2009. The sample consisted of volunteers who worked on short-term projects in developing countries for a variety of non-governmental organisations. At least one sick day was taken by 137 (33.2%) participants. Medical care was accessed by 39 (9.6%) participants, and standby medication was used by 87 (21.6%) participants. Diarrhoea, especially amongst those aged under 20 or who visited Latin America, was the most commonly reported health problem (95; 23.9%). Possible exposure to schistosomiasis was reported by 56 (13.8%) participants, mostly from East Africa. Upon return, the majority of participants (371; 91.2%) reported feeling well. The findings of this study show the importance of tailored post-travel health screening for short-term overseas volunteers. This study may help to tailor pre-departure travel health consultations for this group, particularly around food hygiene, hand washing and potential exposure to infection, but further research is needed to assess the impact of pre-travel health advice. | en |
dc.format.extent | 7 | |
dc.language.iso | eng | |
dc.relation.ispartof | Travel Medicine and Infectious Disease | |
dc.subject | Travel overseas, volunteers | |
dc.title | Travel related illness in short-term volunteers from the UK to developing countries. | en |
dc.contributor.institution | Department of Psychology | |
dc.contributor.institution | School of Life and Medical Sciences | |
dc.contributor.institution | Health & Human Sciences Research Institute | |
dc.contributor.institution | Centre for Lifespan and Chronic Illness Research | |
dc.contributor.institution | Health Services and Medicine | |
dc.contributor.institution | Health and Clinical Psychology Research Group | |
dc.contributor.institution | Psychology | |
dc.description.status | Peer reviewed | |
rioxxterms.versionofrecord | 10.1016/j.tmaid.2012.04.002 | |
rioxxterms.type | Journal Article/Review | |
herts.preservation.rarelyaccessed | true | |