title: Exposure and preventive behaviours toward ticks and Lyme disease in Canada: Results from a first national survey.
abstract: Lyme disease (LD) risk is increasing in Canada. In 2014, the government of Canada launched a national communication campaign to raise awareness and promote the adoption of individual preventive behaviours toward ticks and LD. The objectives of this study were to evaluate and compare the adoption of LD preventive behaviours and the exposure to tick bites of Canadians in the five main targeted regions (British Columbia, Prairie provinces, Ontario, Quebec and the Atlantic provinces). A national survey was conducted in December 2014 (n=2876) to collect data on LD awareness, behaviours and risk factors. Overall, the proportion of respondents reporting tick exposure was high (20%). The results suggest that even though LD awareness was found to be high (with only 12% of the respondents reporting that they never heard about LD), less than half of the Canadians who heard about it have adopted specific preventive behaviours toward tick bites, such as regular tick checks (reported by 52%), protective clothing (50%), using tick repellent (41%) or shower or bath (41%) after visiting a wooded area in a LD risk area. Moreover, significant differences were found between regions, gender, age groups and dog ownership status, regarding preventive behaviours and factors of exposure. A high level of knowledge of Lyme disease, living in the Prairie region, as well as having found a tick on oneself or a relative, were found to be associated with the adoption of preventive behaviours. This study underlines the importance to take into account specific regional characteristics of risk and to maintain public health communication efforts through time in order to increase the adoption of preventive behaviours of Canadians.
authors: Groupe de Recherche en Épidémiologie des Zoonoses et Santé Publique (GREZOSP), Faculté de médecine vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, CP 5000, Saint-Hyacinthe, J2S 7C6, Québec, Canada; Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health, McGill University, 1140 Pine Avenue, Montreal H3A 1A3, Québec, Canada. Electronic address: cecile.aenishaenslin@mail.mcgill.ca.
authors: Cécile
authors: C
authors: Aenishaenslin
authors: National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, CP 5000, Saint-Hyacinthe H2S 7C6, Québec, Canada.
authors: Catherine
authors: C
authors: Bouchard
authors: Centre for Food-borne, Environmental & Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Public Health Agency of Canada, CP 5000, Saint-Hyacinthe, H2S 7C6, Québec, Canada.
authors: Jules K
authors: JK
authors: Koffi
authors: National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, CP 5000, Saint-Hyacinthe H2S 7C6, Québec, Canada.
authors: Nicholas H
authors: NH
authors: Ogden
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D002170:Canada / Q000453:epidemiology; D003625:Data Collection; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008193:Lyme Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D064927:Tick Bites / Q000517:prevention & control; D013983:Tick Control; D013987:Ticks; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Exposure; Lyme disease; Prevention; Preventive behaviours; Risk factors; Ticks