Dataset Information

Integrated Social-Behavioral and Ecological Risk Maps to Prioritize Local Public Health Responses to Lyme Disease.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The risk of contracting Lyme disease (LD) can vary spatially because of spatial heterogeneity in risk factors such as social-behavior and exposure to ecological risk factors. Integrating these risk factors to inform decision-making should therefore increase the effectiveness of mitigation interventions.

Objectives

The objective of this study was to develop an integrated social-behavioral and ecological risk-mapping approach to identify priority areas for LD interventions.

Methods

The study was conducted in the Montérégie region of Southern Quebec, Canada, where LD is a newly endemic disease. Spatial variation in LD knowledge, risk perceptions, and behaviors in the population were measured using web survey data collected in 2012. These data were used as a proxy for the social-behavioral component of risk. Tick vector population densities were measured in the environment during field surveillance from 2007 to 2012 to provide an index of the ecological component of risk. Social-behavioral and ecological components of risk were combined with human population density to create integrated risk maps. Map predictions were validated by testing the association between high-risk areas and the current spatial distribution of human LD cases.

Results

Social-behavioral and ecological components of LD risk had markedly different distributions within the study region, suggesting that both factors should be considered for locally adapted interventions. The occurrence of human LD cases in a municipality was positively associated with tick density (p<0.01) but was not significantly associated with social-behavioral risk.

Conclusion

This study is an applied demonstration of how integrated social-behavioral and ecological risk maps can be created to assist decision-making. Social survey data are a valuable but underutilized source of information for understanding regional variation in LD exposure, and integrating this information into risk maps provides a novel approach for prioritizing and adapting interventions to the local characteristics of target populations. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP1943.

SUBMITTER: Bouchard C

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6071748 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Integrated Social-Behavioral and Ecological Risk Maps to Prioritize Local Public Health Responses to Lyme Disease.

Bouchard Catherine C Aenishaenslin Cécile C Rees Erin E EE Koffi Jules K JK Pelcat Yann Y Ripoche Marion M Milord François F Lindsay L Robbin LR Ogden Nicholas H NH Leighton Patrick A PA

Environmental health perspectives 20180418 4

<h4>Background</h4>The risk of contracting Lyme disease (LD) can vary spatially because of spatial heterogeneity in risk factors such as social-behavior and exposure to ecological risk factors. Integrating these risk factors to inform decision-making should therefore increase the effectiveness of mitigation interventions.<h4>Objectives</h4>The objective of this study was to develop an integrated social-behavioral and ecological risk-mapping approach to identify priority areas for LD intervention ...[more]

PMID: 29671475

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Dataset Information

Integrated Social-Behavioral and Ecological Risk Maps to Prioritize Local Public Health Responses to Lyme Disease.

Background

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Publications

Integrated Social-Behavioral and Ecological Risk Maps to Prioritize Local Public Health Responses to Lyme Disease.

Similar Datasets

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