Malaria Risk Behaviors among Thai and Foreign Tourists in Endemic Malaria Areas, Northern Thailand
Keywords:
Risk behavior, Malaria, Tourist, Endemic malaria areasAbstract
A cross-sectional study of malaria preventive behaviors of tourists in Thailand was carried out in 10 tourist places, where malaria are (is still) endemic in Chiang Mai and Mae Hong Son Provinces, between January and June 2009. This survey collected information using a haphazard sampling from the 162 (43.4%) Thai and 211 (56.6%) foreign tourists by interviews with a self-administrative questionnaire providing dual languages of Thai and English. The univariate and multiple logistic regression analyses showed that a high proportion of the tourists (66.6%) received malaria information before coming to Chiang Mai or Mae Hong Son province. Of which, 43.2% reported that they knew malaria from physicians. Only 12.9% had experienced with self - administrative preventive medicine bought from a drug store while the rest did not take any chemoprophylaxis (87.1%). Malaria knowledge level was significantly related to tourist ethnicity, hearing about medicine, and taking medicine for prevention. Thais had a better knowledge level than that of the foreigners (p < 0.05). The tourists who had ever heard about malaria medicine gained a better knowledge level (p < 0.05) and who had a better knowledge level would not take preventive drugs before arriving Chiang Mai or Mae Hong Son(p < 0.05). Multivariate analyses using multiple logistic regression revealed that malaria risk behaviors had significant relationships to age, ethnic, and occupation. Findings indicated Thais had greater risky behaviors than foreigners (Adjusted OR = 2.08, 95% CI = 1.08 - 4.03). The advantages of the study suggest the concerning health sectors to develop mass communication and health education campaigns for tourists before entering the malaria risk places.
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