Traveler's Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice About Travel Health Insurance: A Community-based Questionnaire Study

Overview

Journal PLoS One

Specialties General Medicine
Science

Date 2023 Feb 9

PMID 36757921

Authors

Chia-Jung Yang

Chia-Wen Lu

Chien-Hsieh Chiang

Hao-Hsiang Chang

Chien-An Yao

Kuo-Chin Huang

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Travel, especially international travel, has become one of the most popular leisure activities in the world. The risk of accidents and travel-related illnesses, including infectious and non-communicable diseases, should not be neglected. To provide a more comprehensive pre-travel consultation to international travelers, this study aimed to investigate the knowledge, attitude, and practice of travelers about travel health insurance.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. Anonymous structured questionnaires were distributed to 1000 visitors to the Taiwan International Travel Fair in May 2019.

Results: The top three important travel health insurances were accidental death and disablement insurance (92%), accidental medical reimbursement (90.4%), and 24-hour emergency assistance (89%). In addition to education level, travel-associated illness, and special activities during travel, a significant association was observed between the willingness to buy various travel health insurances and the willingness of pre-travel consultation.

Conclusions: Most travelers would buy travel health insurance; however, disproportional respondents understood the content of travel health insurance. Most travelers considered travel clinics to be the most reliable information source regarding travel health insurance. Therefore, travel medicine specialists are encouraged to offer more information about travel health insurance during pre-travel consultation.

Citing Articles

Need for travel health clinic: A cross-sectional study among international travellers availing yellow fever vaccination in a teaching institution.

Sadawarte D, Dakshit K, Sadawarte M, Maria C, Yadav V J Family Med Prim Care. 2025; 13(12):5643-5647.

PMID: 39790750 PMC: 11709059. DOI: 10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_798_24.

References

Behrens R, Carroll B . Travel trends and patterns of travel-associated morbidity. Infect Dis Clin North Am. 2012; 26(3):791-802. DOI: 10.1016/j.idc.2012.05.002. View

Chiodini J . COVID-19 and the impact on travel health advice. Travel Med Infect Dis. 2020; 36:101824. PMC: 7375963. DOI: 10.1016/j.tmaid.2020.101824. View

Kedjarune , Leggat . Dental Precautions For Travelers. J Travel Med. 1997; 4(1):38-40. DOI: 10.1111/j.1708-8305.1997.tb00771.x. View

Angelo K, Kozarsky P, Ryan E, Chen L, Sotir M . What proportion of international travellers acquire a travel-related illness? A review of the literature. J Travel Med. 2017; 24(5). PMC: 5825178. DOI: 10.1093/jtm/tax046. View

Leggat P, Heydon J, Menon A . Safety advice for travelers from New Zealand. J Travel Med. 1998; 5(2):61-4. DOI: 10.1111/j.1708-8305.1998.tb00465.x. View

Prociv P . Deaths of Australian travellers overseas. Med J Aust. 1995; 163(1):27-30. DOI: 10.5694/j.1326-5377.1995.tb124578.x. View

Teichman P, Donchin Y, Kot R . International aeromedical evacuation. N Engl J Med. 2007; 356(3):262-70. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMra063651. View

Hill , Behrens . A Survey of Travel Clinics Throughout the World. J Travel Med. 1996; 3(1):46-51. DOI: 10.1111/j.1708-8305.1996.tb00696.x. View

Leggat P, Carne J, Kedjarune U . Travel insurance and health. J Travel Med. 1999; 6(4):243-8. DOI: 10.1111/j.1708-8305.1999.tb00526.x. View

10.

Wilson M, Chen L . Re-starting travel in the era of COVID-19: preparing anew. J Travel Med. 2020; 27(5). PMC: 7337735. DOI: 10.1093/jtm/taaa108. View

11.

Sanford C, McConnell A, Osborn J . The Pretravel Consultation. Am Fam Physician. 2016; 94(8):620-627. View

12.

Rack J, Wichmann O, Kamara B, Gunther M, Cramer J, Schonfeld C . Risk and spectrum of diseases in travelers to popular tourist destinations. J Travel Med. 2005; 12(5):248-53. DOI: 10.2310/7060.2005.12502. View

13.

Qiu H, Tong Z, Ma P, Hu M, Peng Z, Wu W . Intensive care during the coronavirus epidemic. Intensive Care Med. 2020; 46(4):576-578. PMC: 7080064. DOI: 10.1007/s00134-020-05966-y. View

14.

Harvey K, Esposito D, Han P, Kozarsky P, Freedman D, Plier D . Surveillance for travel-related disease--GeoSentinel Surveillance System, United States, 1997-2011. MMWR Surveill Summ. 2013; 62:1-23. View

15.

Lee Y, Lu C, Wu P, Huang H, Wu Y, Huang K . Attitudes and awareness of medical assistance while traveling abroad. Global Health. 2018; 14(1):67. PMC: 6042459. DOI: 10.1186/s12992-018-0382-5. View

16.

Castelli F . Human mobility and disease: a global challenge. J Travel Med. 2004; 11(1):1-2. DOI: 10.2310/7060.2004.13610. View

17.

Steffen R . Travel medicine--prevention based on epidemiological data. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg. 1991; 85(2):156-62. DOI: 10.1016/0035-9203(91)90005-j. View