TOURIST 2: Tracking Of Urgent Risks In Swiss Travelers (TOURIST2)

April 27, 2021 updated by: University of Zurich

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

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.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed 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.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

793

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Switzerland
      • Zürich, Switzerland, 8001
        • University of Zurich, Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute, Travel Clinic
    • Basel Stadt
      • Basel, Basel Stadt, Switzerland, 4051
        • Andreas Neumayr

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

N/A

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Study recruitment will be conducted at the University of Zurich Travel Clinic and the Travel Clinic at the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute.

That means that individuals seeking pre-travel advice at one of the two Travel Clinics will be asked to participate based inclusion criteria defined above.

Furthermore, patients with chronic diseases will be referred to the Travel Clinics by various specialized clinics at the University Hospitals of Zurich and Basel (Gastroenterology, Rheumatology, Pneumology, Cardiology)

Description

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

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Intervention / Treatment
Elderly Travelers
approximately 135 travelers with an age >= 60 years will be enrolled
Other: none, this is an observational study
none, this is an observational study
Chronic diseased travelers
approximately 225 travelers with a chronic disease will be enrolled
Other: none, this is an observational study
none, this is an observational study
Healthy travelers
approximately 640 healthy travelers with be enrolled
Other: none, this is an observational study
none, this is an observational study

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Self-reported risk behaviors
Time Frame: for a maximum of 4 weeks during travel
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 Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Self-reported symptoms
Time Frame: for a maximum of 4 weeks during travel
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

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

University of Zurich

Collaborators

Swiss Tropical & Public Health Institute

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Silja Bühler, Dr., University of Zurich

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

September 18, 2017

Primary Completion (Actual)

March 31, 2019

Study Completion (Actual)

March 31, 2021

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

August 16, 2017

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 21, 2017

First Posted (Actual)

August 25, 2017

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

April 29, 2021

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 27, 2021

Last Verified

October 1, 2017

More Information

Terms related to this study

Other Study ID Numbers

  • PB_2017_00412

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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