Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #100200

Jennifer Garvin, PhD, Public Health, Temple University, 3766 Pickertown Rd., Chalfont, PA 18914, 215-620-3390, ccsreview@netcarrier.com, Thomas Gordon, PhD, Public Health Department, Temple University, Vivacqua Hall, Room 301J, Philadelphia, PA 19122, and Clara S. Haignere, PhD, MPH, CHES, Department of Public Health, Temple University, 301E Vivacqua Hall, Broad Street and Cecil B. Moore, Philadelphia, PA 19122.

This presentation discusses the design and validation of a Lyme disease risk-assessment tool. The resulting instrument is intended for use in research and for Lyme disease prevention in endemic areas. Constructed in accordance with the PRECEDE-PROCEED model of public health planning, the instrument includes measures of attitudes, behaviors, beliefs, skills, and knowledge.To develop the Lyme disease instrument, a pool of possible questions was constructed based on risk perceptions, knowledge of preventive behaviors, attitudes, environmental risk characteristics, and theoretical constructs derived from diffusion theory, protection motivation theory, and the Health Belief Model. In order to develop the instrument, a small pilot study, a large-scale pilot study, and the application of the instrument in a general endemic population, were undertaken to refine and test the instrument. Statistical analyses to establish validity and reliability indexes were also undertaken.After data were collected, the questions representing risk perception were correlated with key variables, including preventive behavior, knowledge about preventive behavior, and communication. Analysis of variance was used to determine if there was a relationship between demographic information, innovator-type, and risk perception. Based on the analyses, there is a relationship between preventive behavior, knowledge about preventive behavior, innovator-type, communication, and risk perception.

Learning Objectives: Having participated in the session the participants will be able to

• Describe the development process of a newly developed Lyme disease assessment tool
• Describe the relationship of perceived risk to self-reported Lyme disease preventative behavior as measured in the Lyme disease assessment tool
• Recall how the information derived from the use of the Lyme disease assessment tool was used to provide education to an endemic population

Keywords: Disease Prevention, Infectious Diseases

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Recorded presentation