Effects of tick surveillance education on knowledge, attitudes, and practices of local health department employees

Abstract

Background The number of cases of tick-borne diseases in humans is increasing rapidly within Illinois. The responsibility for increased surveillance of tick-borne disease cases and tick vectors is being placed on local health departments throughout the United States, but they often lack the funding, time, and/or training needed to perform said surveillance. The aims of this study were to develop, deliver, and determine the effectiveness of tick surveillance training workshops for local health department employees within Illinois. Methods We developed and delivered in-person training at local health department offices in each of six Illinois Department of Public Health Environmental Health Regions between April–May of 2019. Pre-, post-, and six-month follow-up questionnaires on knowledge, attitudes, and practices with regards to tick surveillance were administered to training participants. Paired student’s t-test or Wilcoxon signed-rank test were used to compare knowledge, attitudes, and practices scores between questionnaires with Cohen’s d being used to calculate effect sizes associated with t-tests. McNemar’s and McNemar-Bowker tests were used to evaluate individual questions. Spearman’s rank correlation was used to evaluate the relationship between knowledge, attitudes, and practices at pre-, post-, and six-month follow-up. Results Seventy-six employees from 40 local health departments that represent 44% (45/102) of Illinois counties attended at least one training workshop. Of these attendees, 81.5% (62/76) participated in at least one survey, 79% (60/76) in the in-person pre-training survey, 74% (56/76) in the in-person post-training survey, and 22% (17/76) in the online six-month follow-up survey. The average knowledge score was significantly increased by 8.21 (95% CI:7.28–9.14) points from pre-training to post-training. The average overall attitude score significantly increased by 5.29 (95% CI: 3.91–6.66) points from pre- to post-training. There were no significant differences in practice scores. Conclusions Our study found the training was effective in increasing the knowledge of ticks, tick-borne diseases, and surveillance as well as promoting positive attitudes related to surveillance. While the training, by itself, was not associated with increases in surveillance practices, we were able to empower local public health officials with the knowledge and positive attitudes needed to enact change.

Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of Illinois medical professionals related to ticks and tick-borne disease

“…Access to information improves the diagnosis and prevention of tick-borne disease [ 40 ]. Also, training has been shown to significantly increase knowledge related to ticks and TBDs for public health [ 41 ] and veterinary [ 42 ] professionals in Illinois. The Tick-borne Disease Working Group recommends a One Health approach to training and TBD control [ 14 , 43 ], targeting TBDs in both humans and animals, as well as addressing environmental factors.…”

Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of veterinary professionals towards ticks and tick-borne diseases in Illinois

“…This can be explained in part by our finding that recent training was significantly associated with higher knowledge scores; very little veterinary-focused tick training has been made available in this area in recent years. Research supports that targeted tick-borne disease training can significantly increase knowledge scores among local public health department employees [ 32 ]. Based on the surveyed topics that received lower correct response rates, we suggest that training for veterinary professionals should focus on the specific tick species present in the practice area, where ticks typically attach to a host body (both animal and human), the diagnostics available for vector-borne diseases, and potentially alpha-gal sensitivity.…”

Assessing the value and knowledge gains from an online tick identification and tick-borne disease management course for the Southeastern United States

“…Identification of risky activities and the adoption of appropriate personal protection behaviors can effectively reduce individual exposures to tick bites [14]. Unfortunately, basic knowledge of ticks and preventive behaviors are often limited, even among public health professionals, and locally targeted surveillance programs to inform risk may be lacking [15][16][17][18][19]. To address these gaps, efforts to improve general knowledge of ticks and TBDs in the United States have been spearheaded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).…”