Pre-air Travel Health-Seeking Behaviour, Prevalence of Barotitis Media, Its Knowledge and Associated Factors among Recently Travelled Patients in Kano, Nigeria

Nigerian Postgraduate Medical Journal

article

Godpower Chinedu Michael¹  Muhammad Baba Usman²  Ibrahim Aliyu³  Bukar Alhaji Grema¹  Abdulazeez Omeiza Ahmed¹ 

[1] Department of Family Medicine, Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital;Department of Paediatrics, Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital;Department of Paediatrics, Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Bayero University Kano

关键词: Air travel;    barotitis media;    knowledge;    outpatients;    pre-air travel advice;    prevalence;   

DOI  :  10.4103/npmj.npmj_578_21

学科分类：地球科学(综合)

来源: Medknow

【 摘 要 】

Introduction: Existing evidence suggests that barotitis media (BM) is common among air travellers, and it has the potential to cause severe discomfort and sometimes permanent hearing and balance deficits. It has not been studied in Nigeria. Objective: This study aimed to assess the pre-air travel health-seeking behaviour, prevalence of BM, knowledge of BM and its associated factors among a cohort of outpatients with a history of recent air travel in Kano, Nigeria. Materials and Methods: This questionnaire-based survey involved 97 participants systematically and proportionately selected from adult patients or caregivers of children with recent air travel history attending two outpatients clinics over 7 weeks. Information on biodata, pre-air travel advice-seeking behaviours, air travel experience and BM knowledge were obtained. Data were analysed using the descriptive statistical methods, Chi-square or Fisher's exact tests and odds ratio (OR). Results: Most participants were male (54.6%) with tertiary education (87.6%); the prevalence of BM was 44.3% (43/97). Only 2.1% (2/97) had ever sought pre-air travel advice from a doctor; 83.5% (81/97) had heard of BM before; 42% had adequate knowledge of BM. Employment status (Fisher's exact, P = 0.001), clinic at recruitment (Fisher's exact, P = 0.00008), duration of last flight (Fisher's exact, P = 0.0001) and persistent ear-pain after landing (Fisher's exact, P = 0.001) were significantly associated with participants' knowledge of BM. Persistent ear-pain after landing was the predictor of BM knowledge (OR = 0.04, 95% confidence interval [0.002–0.67], P = 0.025). Conclusion: The BM knowledge level of this cohort suggests the need for further studies to ascertain the complete picture and justify improved pretravel education of air travellers in our setting.

【 授权许可】

CC BY-NC-SA