Characteristics of Traveler’s Diarrhea in Foreign Traveler’s Visiting Beaches in Badung Regency, Bali

Abstract

Traveler’s Diarrhea (TD) is a common infectious disease impacting travelers from developed countries who visit developing countries, such as Indonesia. Reporting of Traveler’s Diarrhea (TD) cases in Indonesia is still low, especially in Bali. This study aimed to describe the characteristics of Traveler’s Diarrhea (TD) in foreign travelers visiting beaches in Badung Regency, Bali. This study used cross sectional descriptive method in collecting data. The population was all foreign travelers visiting eight beaches in Badung Regency, Bali. In this study 61 respondents were selected using a purposive sampling technique. Data collection involved a questionnaire and analyzed using univariate statistics. The majority of respondents were European females (70,5%), aged 26-35 (41%), from Germany (11,5%), visiting Bali for tourism (80,3%), their first time in Southeast Asia (47,5%) and Bali (45,9%). Predominant diarrhea characteristics included 3-4 bowel movements per day (75,4%), loose stool consintency (59%) accompanied by abdominal cramps (41%), lasting 1-7 days (96,7%), a single episode (73,8%). Most managed Traveler’s Diarrhea (TD) with medication (63,2%) and continued their travels (80,3%), consumed vegetable salad (50,8%), consumed overnight food (91,8%), consumed raw meat (80,3%) and drank tap water (95,1%). This study suggest that Traveler’s Diarrhea (TD) is prevalent among foreign travelers visiting beaches in Badung Regency, Bali with key factors being the absence of pre-travel consultations, consumption of drinks with ice and vegetables salad. Keywords: Traveler’s Diarrhea, TD, Foreign Traveler, Characteristic