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Beck A, Bjork J, Biggerstaff BJ, Eisen L, Eisen R, Foster E, Signs K, Tsao JI, Kough E, Peterson M, Schiffman E, Muganda CP, Osborn R, Wozniak R, Bron GM, Phaneuf D, Smith D, Bartholomay L, Paskewitz S, Hinckley AF. Knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors regarding tick-borne disease prevention in Lyme disease-endemic areas of the Upper Midwest, United States. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2022; 13:101925. [PMID: 35255349 PMCID: PMC10947721 DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2022.101925] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2021] [Revised: 02/04/2022] [Accepted: 02/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases are a major public health threat in the Upper Midwestern United States, including Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. To prevent tick bites and tick-borne diseases, public health officials commonly recommend personal protective measures and property management techniques. Adoption of tick-borne disease prevention behaviors and practices by individuals are, however, highly variable. We aimed to characterize current tick-borne disease knowledge, attitudes, and prevention behaviors (KAB) practiced by the public in these states, as well as their willingness to use specific tick control methods. We conducted a population-based survey in summer 2019 in 48 high-risk counties (those having a five-year average (2013-2017) Lyme disease incidence of ≥ 10 cases per 100,000 persons per year), in Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. A total of 2713 surveys were analyzed; survey weights were used to account for household selection probability and post-stratified to match county-level joint age and sex population distributions in population-level inference. An estimated 98% of the population had heard of Lyme disease, with most perceiving it as very or extremely serious (91%); however, only an estimated 25% perceived tick-borne diseases as very or extremely common in their community. Among those who spent time in places with ticks from April through October, an estimated 68% check themselves thoroughly for ticks most of the time or always and 43% use bug repellent on skin or clothing most of the time or always. An estimated 13% of the population had ever treated their property with a pesticide to kill ticks, and 3% had ever used devices that apply pesticide to rodents to kill ticks on their property. Willingness to practice tick bite prevention behaviors, however, was estimated to be much higher; with 82% being willing to perform tick checks at least once a day, and more than 60% willing to use bug repellent, tick control products on pets, or to bathe within two hours of being outdoors. We found that residents would likely be willing to support a county-wide tick control program to reduce the risk of tick-borne disease in their community (81%) or to apply tick control products to their property to reduce the risk of tick-borne disease in their household (79%). Tick checks were more likely to be practiced among participants who perceived tick-borne diseases to be highly prevalent in their community, if they or a household member had been previously diagnosed with a tick-borne disease?, or if they perceived tick exposure to be likely around their home, cabin, or vacation home. In addition, property-based tick control methods were associated with perceived risk of encountering ticks around the home, cabin, or vacation home. Participants who had seen information from state health departments were also more likely to practice preventive measures. The most common reported barriers to using any of these methods were forgetfulness, safety concerns, and lack of awareness. Our survey findings shed light on how residents from these Upper Midwest states may adopt tick control and tick bite prevention measures and how public health outreach may be most effective for this population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alyssa Beck
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, 3156 Rampart Road, Fort Collins, CO 80521, United States; Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), Oak Ridge, TN, United States
| | - Jenna Bjork
- Minnesota Department of Health, 625 Robert Street North, Saint Paul, MN 55155, United States
| | - Brad J Biggerstaff
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, 3156 Rampart Road, Fort Collins, CO 80521, United States
| | - Lars Eisen
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, 3156 Rampart Road, Fort Collins, CO 80521, United States
| | - Rebecca Eisen
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, 3156 Rampart Road, Fort Collins, CO 80521, United States
| | - Erik Foster
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, 3156 Rampart Road, Fort Collins, CO 80521, United States
| | - Kimberly Signs
- Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, 333 South Grand Avenue, South Grand Building, Lansing, MI 48933, United States
| | - Jean I Tsao
- Michigan State University, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife and Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, 480 Wilson Road, Natural Resources Building, East Lansing, MI 48824, United States
| | - Erin Kough
- Minnesota Department of Health, 625 Robert Street North, Saint Paul, MN 55155, United States
| | - Molly Peterson
- Minnesota Department of Health, 625 Robert Street North, Saint Paul, MN 55155, United States
| | - Elizabeth Schiffman
- Minnesota Department of Health, 625 Robert Street North, Saint Paul, MN 55155, United States
| | - Christine P Muganda
- Wisconsin Department of Health Services, 1 West Wilson Street, Madison, WI 53703, United States
| | - Rebecca Osborn
- Wisconsin Department of Health Services, 1 West Wilson Street, Madison, WI 53703, United States
| | - Ryan Wozniak
- Wisconsin Department of Health Services, 1 West Wilson Street, Madison, WI 53703, United States
| | - Gebbiena M Bron
- University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1656 Linden Drive, Madison, WI 53706, United States
| | - Daniel Phaneuf
- University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1656 Linden Drive, Madison, WI 53706, United States
| | - Danielle Smith
- University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1656 Linden Drive, Madison, WI 53706, United States
| | - Lyric Bartholomay
- University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1656 Linden Drive, Madison, WI 53706, United States
| | - Susan Paskewitz
- University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1656 Linden Drive, Madison, WI 53706, United States
| | - Alison F Hinckley
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, 3156 Rampart Road, Fort Collins, CO 80521, United States.
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Brezonik PL, Bouchard RW, Finlay JC, Griffin CG, Olmanson LG, Anderson JP, Arnold WA, Hozalski R. Color, chlorophyll a, and suspended solids effects on Secchi depth in lakes: implications for trophic state assessment. Ecol Appl 2019; 29:e01871. [PMID: 30739365 DOI: 10.1002/eap.1871] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2018] [Revised: 11/30/2018] [Accepted: 01/14/2019] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Secchi depth (SD), a primary metric to assess trophic state, is controlled in many lakes by algal densities, measured as chlorophyll-a (chl-a) concentration. Two other optically related water quality variables also directly affect SD: non-algal suspended solids (SSNA ) and colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM, expressed as the absorption coefficient at 440 nm, a440 ). Using a database of ~1,460 samples from ~625 inland lake basins in Minnesota and two other Upper Midwest states, Wisconsin and Michigan, we analyzed relationships among these variables, with special focus on CDOM levels that influence SD values and the Minnesota SD standards used to assess eutrophication impairment of lakes. Log-transformed chl-a, total suspended solids (TSS), and SD were strongly correlated with each other; log(a440 ) had major effects on log(SD) but was only weakly correlated with log(chl-a) and log(TSS). Multiple regression models for log(SD) and 1/SD based on the three driving variables (chl-a, SSNA , and CDOM) explained ~80% of the variance in SD in the whole data set, but substantial differences in the form of the best-fit relationships were found between major ecoregions. High chl-a concentrations (> 50 μg/L) and TSS (> 20 mg/L) rarely occurred in lakes with high CDOM (a440 > ~4 m-1 ), and all lakes with a440 > 8 m-1 had SD ≤ 2.0 m despite low chl-a values (<10 μg/L) in most lakes. Further statistical analyses revealed that CDOM has significant effects on SD at a440 values > ~ 4 m-1 . Thus, SD is not an accurate trophic state metric in moderately to highly colored lakes, and Minnesota's 2-m SD criterion should not be the sole metric to assess eutrophication impairment in warm/cool-water lakes of the Northern Lakes and Forest ecoregion. More generally, trophic state assessments using SD in regions with large landscape sources of CDOM need to account for effects of CDOM on SD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick L Brezonik
- Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geo Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55455, USA
| | - R William Bouchard
- Environmental Analysis and Outcomes Division, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, 520 Lafayette Road, Saint Paul, Minnesota, 55155-4194, USA
| | - Jacques C Finlay
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, Minnesota, 55455, USA
| | - Claire G Griffin
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, Minnesota, 55455, USA
| | - Leif G Olmanson
- Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, Minnesota, 55455, USA
| | - Jesse P Anderson
- Environmental Analysis and Outcomes Division, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, 520 Lafayette Road, Saint Paul, Minnesota, 55155-4194, USA
| | - William A Arnold
- Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geo Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55455, USA
| | - Raymond Hozalski
- Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geo Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55455, USA
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