In the Netherlands, a similar survey has been done each year between 2002 and 2009 (except for the year 2006), giving a unique opportunity to study trends in KAP of travelers toward prevention of hepatitis A. In this study, we report our findings regarding these trends with a special focus on the risk groups last-minute travelers,

solo travelers, business travelers, travelers VFR, as well as older adult travelers. The survey was conducted as previously selleckchem described.3 In brief, self-administered, anonymous questionnaires were randomly distributed at the departure gate of Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, while passengers were waiting to board. Intercontinental flights to destinations with an intermediate or high risk for hepatitis A, hepatitis B, or malaria were preferably selected. The survey was always done in the same period of the year, namely the months October or November. Travelers participated on a voluntary basis; no incentive was provided, except for a leaflet with information on hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and malaria.

EGFR inhibitor Trained interviewers were present to distribute the questionnaires, to answer questions if necessary, and to check the completeness of the responses collected. When possible, these interviewers copied the information from the travelers’ vaccination records. Travelers were allowed to participate if they were 18 years of age or older, and able to fully understand the language of the questionnaires. They also had to be resident in the Netherlands; thus, nationals of a developing country were only asked to participate if they were actually living in the Netherlands. These criteria were checked by the interviewers when

distributing the forms. Afterwards, completed questionnaires from travelers who did not meet all the inclusion criteria were either excluded by the interviewers or rejected from the final analysis. Two kinds of questionnaires were distributed among the participants, depending on the precise destination. The malaria questionnaire (Q-mal) focused on malaria and its prevention and treatment and these questionnaires were distributed only to travelers with C-X-C chemokine receptor type 7 (CXCR-7) destinations in or close to malaria-endemic areas. The vaccine questionnaire (Q-vacc) targeted the vaccine-preventable travel-related diseases hepatitis A and B. Both questionnaires had a common part on personal characteristics (age, gender, nationality, residence, profession), on information regarding the travel (destination, duration, purpose, travel companions) and its preparation, and on the travelers’ perception of the risk of malaria, hepatitis A and B at their destination. However, as most malaria-endemic countries also carry a high risk for hepatitis A and B, the Q-mal questionnaire also contained several items dealing with the KAP toward prevention of hepatitis A and B. Respondents with an age over 60 were arbitrarily classified as older adult travelers. Solo travelers were defined as those travelers who traveled alone.