Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 21, 2026

Vector Competence Analyses on Aedes aegypti Mosquitoes using Zika Virus
Published on: May 31, 2020
Factors associated with risk behavior in travelers to tropical and subtropical regions
Marta Aldea1, Alberto L García-Basteiro2, Jose Muñoz3
1Preventive Medicine and Epidemiology Department, Hospital Clínic, Villarroel 170, 08036 Barcelona, Spain maldea@clinic.ub.es.
Background:
Recent decades have seen a rise in population movements and, therefore, the spread of tropical diseases and changes in the epidemiology of global disease patterns. Only 50% of travelers to tropical areas receive pre-travel advice and most of them present risk behaviors for acquiring infections. The aim of this study was to describe the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of travelers and identify factors associated with risk behaviors.
Methods:
We made a retrospective, descriptive and analytical study of 772 travelers consulting a tropical medicine clinic in Barcelona in 2010. Data on demographic and clinical variables, travel characteristics and risk behaviors were collected.
Results:
Among all travelers studied, 65.8% (466/708) received pre-travel advice and 30.7% (209/680) took malaria prophylaxis. At least one risk behavior was reported by 82.6% (587/711) of travelers. People traveling for 1-6 months had a 3-fold higher likelihood of experiencing risk behaviors than people traveling for <1 month (95% CI 1.54-5.81, p=0.001), and those traveling for >6 months had a 13-fold higher likelihood (95% CI 3.11-56.14, p<0.001) compared with the same group. Increasing age was associated with presenting less risk behaviors.
Conclusions:
Younger travelers and those making longer trips have a higher number of risk behaviors. Strategies emphasizing advice on risk behavior should focus on these groups.
Related Concept Videos
Factors Affecting Body Temperature
Factors may include:
Drug Toxicity: Risk factors
Pulmonary Tuberculosis I
Causative Organism
The primary infectious agent causing tuberculosis is Mycobacterium tuberculosis, a slow-growing, acid-fast, aerobic rod that exhibits sensitivity to heat and ultraviolet light. Instances of Mycobacterium bovis and Mycobacterium avium contributing to the development of TB infection are rare.
Mode of...
Drugs Affecting GI Tract Motility: Antimicrobials as Antidiarrheal Agents
Factors Affecting the Risk of Infection
The integrity and count of the white blood cells help the body resist pathogens and fight infection. When impaired, it reduces the body's resistance to pathogens. The acidic pH levels of the gastrointestinal, genitourinary tracts, and skin...
Relative Risk

