Multiple imputation is a promising method for estimating the cumulative success rate of IVF. It could provide new insight on IVF evaluation and should be tested in further studies.
Background
Lyme borreliosis (LB) is the most frequent tick-borne disease in France. In the absence of a vaccine, LB prevention mainly relies on reducing tick bites. In 2016, the French Ministry of Health launched a national plan against tick-borne infections, including a prevention component. To evaluate the impact of this prevention strategy, we assessed knowledge and practices of tick bite prevention using the 2016 and 2019 national surveys on health attitudes and beliefs known as the French Health Barometer.
Methods
The Health Barometer is a repeated nationwide phone survey conducted annually on a random sample aged 18 to 75 years living in mainland France. In 2016 and 2019, participants were asked, among others, about their exposure to ticks, their behavior and practices regarding tick bites, and their knowledge about LB and its prevention.
Results
In 2019, 30% of the population reported a lifetime tick bite and 6% in the last year, an increase from 25% and 4%, respectively, in 2016 (p < 0.001). In 2019, 25% of the population felt exposed to tick bites compared to 23% in 2016 (p < 0.001). The proportion of participants who had heard about LB and who considered themselves well informed respectively increased from 66% and 29% in 2016 to 79% and 41% in 2019, (p < 0.001). In 2019 compared to 2016, a greater part of the French population applied protective measures against tick bites, particularly wearing protective clothing (74% vs 66%, p < 0.001) and regular tick checks and prompt tick removal after exposure (54% vs 47%, p < 0.001).
Conclusions
A substantial proportion of French residents are exposed to tick bites and apply protective measures. Our findings indicate a trend toward an increased knowledge and awareness of tick bites and LB between 2016 and 2019 in France. Our results can be used to target future information campaigns to specific age groups or at-risk areas in addition to the general population. However, we need to further study the barriers to the use of preventive measures.
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