Can protection motivation theory predict protective behavior against ticks?

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Psychology
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Human cases of tick-borne diseases are rising globally.
• Public education on ticks, diseases, and prevention is crucial but motivation for protective behaviors is poorly understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the predictive power of the Protection Motivation Theory (PMT) for explaining the adoption of tick protective measures.
• To assess how perceived seriousness and likelihood of tick bites, Lyme borreliosis (LB), and tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) influence protective behavior.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 2658 respondents from Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.
• Ordinal logistic regression and Chi-square tests analyzed the relationship between PMT variables and protective measure use.
• Examined perceived seriousness and likelihood of tick bites, LB, and TBE, and the efficacy of protective measures.

Main Results:

• Perceived seriousness of tick bites and LB significantly predicted the adoption of protective measures across all countries.
• Perceived likelihood of contracting a tick bite or LB also predicted protection use, but with minimal impact.
• The adoption of specific protective measures correlated with the perceived efficacy of those measures.

Conclusions:

• Specific components of the Protection Motivation Theory can predict the adoption of tick and tick-borne disease prevention strategies.
• Perceived seriousness and likelihood of tick bites and LB are significant predictors, highlighting their importance in public health messaging.
• The efficacy of protective measures is directly associated with their application, reinforcing the need for effective and well-communicated prevention options.