TOURIST 2: Tracking Of Urgent Risks In Swiss Travelers

Risk Behavior Clinical Trial

— TOURIST2  

Official title:

An Observational Study Using a Smartphone-app Supported Electronic Survey and Localization Tracking to Map Risk Behaviors and Symptoms of Swiss Travelers to Thailand, China, India, Brazil, Peru and Tanzania From 2 Swiss Travel Clinics

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT03262337
• Other study ID #: PB_2017_00412
• Status: Completed
• Start date: September 18, 2017
• Est. completion date: March 31, 2021

Study information

• Verified date: October 2017
• Source: University of Zurich
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Observational

Clinical Trial Summary

New mobile Health (mHealth) technology creates an opportunity to approach travel medicine research in a different way, revolutionising our understanding of risks to travellers. Using mHealth technology, the Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute (EBPI), University of Zurich (UZH), developed a TRAVEL app in collaboration with the Eidgnössische Technische Hochschule (ETH) Zurich.

By using this new technology, an extensive collection of data (prospective collection of individual travel behaviour and experienced health events, mapping the travel itinerary via global positioning system (GPS), linking to publicly available local weather data and data on disease endemicity) can be combined and an unprecedented abundance of information on travel behaviour and experienced risks can be obtained. These data will allow a much better understanding of travel risk profiles using cluster analysis. By simultaneously recording health outcomes, the relationship between travel risk profiles and health events can be assessed. In this study, the investigators will address several major shortcomings in travel health in tropical and subtropical destinations by improving the understanding of poorly assessed and potentially underestimated health threats (e.g. risk of accidents and injury, mental health disorders), and travel risks specific to elderly travellers and travellers with chronic conditions. These findings will directly feed back into individual travel advice given by practitioners in Switzerland and finally world-wide.

Description:

New mobile Health (mHealth) technology creates an opportunity to approach travel medicine research in a different way, revolutionising our understanding of risks to travellers. Using mHealth technology, the Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute (EBPI), University of Zurich (UZH), developed a TRAVEL app in collaboration with the Eidgnössische Technische Hochschule (ETH) Zurich.

By using this new technology, an extensive collection of data (prospective collection of individual travel behaviour and experienced health events, mapping the travel itinerary via global positioning system (GPS), linking to publicly available local weather data and data on disease endemicity) can be combined and an unprecedented abundance of information on travel behaviour and experienced risks can be obtained. These data will allow a much better understanding of travel risk profiles using cluster analysis. By simultaneously recording health outcomes, the relationship between travel risk profiles and health events can be assessed. In this study, the investigators will address several major shortcomings in travel health in tropical and subtropical destinations by improving the understanding of poorly assessed and potentially underestimated health threats (e.g. risk of accidents and injury, mental health disorders), and travel risks specific to elderly travellers and travellers with chronic conditions.

1000 clients traveling to Thailand, China, India, Brazil, Peru or Tanzania will be recruited from the Travel Clinics in Zurich and Basel and through advertising at local travel agents and the universities of ETH and UZH from September 2017 until February 2019. After completing an intake at the clinic, participants will be given the option to use their own Smartphone for data collection, or to use a phone owned by the UZH-EBPI during travel. Participants will use a data collection app for questionnaire responses during and after travel including: a daily questionnaire on travel behaviors, daily symptoms questionnaire, and localization tracking, showing the participants' travel path and locations.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 793
• Est. completion date: March 31, 2021
• Est. primary completion date: March 31, 2019
• Gender: All
• Age group: 18 Years and older

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• Informed Consent

• Traveler to Thailand, China, India, Brazil, Peru or Tanzania

• German-speaking (level 3 or higher)

• Literate (able to read and write in German - level 3 or higher)

• Capable of operating Smartphone application for data collection

• Traveling to Thailand, China, India, Brazil, Peru or Tanzania for = 4 weeks

Exclusion Criteria:

• not fulfilling inclusion criteria

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Chronic Diseased Travelers
• Elderly Travelers
• Mobile Health Technology (mHealth)
• Risk Behavior
• Travel Health

Intervention

Other:
• none, this is an observational study
none, this is an observational study

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
Switzerland	Andreas Neumayr	Basel	Basel Stadt
Switzerland	University of Zurich, Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute, Travel Clinic	Zürich

Sponsors (2)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
University of Zurich	Swiss Tropical & Public Health Institute

Country where clinical trial is conducted

Switzerland, 

References & Publications (1)

Farnham A, Blanke U, Stone E, Puhan MA, Hatz C. Travel medicine and mHealth technology: a study using smartphones to collect health data during travel. J Travel Med. 2016 Sep 4;23(6). pii: taw056. doi: 10.1093/jtm/taw056. Print 2016 Jun. — View Citation

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Self-reported risk behaviors	The study participant will report on daily risk behaviors prior to, during and after travel in a daily app-based questionnaire	for a maximum of 4 weeks during travel
Secondary	Self-reported symptoms	The study participant will report on experienced symptoms/health events prior to, during and after travel in a daily app-based questionnaire	for a maximum of 4 weeks during travel