The use of protective practices against tick bites: a survey-based comparison between nature and gardens

A large proportion of tick bites is being contracted in gardens. However, studies investigating the use of protective practices against ticks do not focus on the use of these practices in garden environments. The main aim of this study is to compare the use of protective practices against tick bites between activities in public nature areas and private gardens, and to determine which factors influence the use of protective practices in these environments.

We investigated awareness and knowledge of ticks and tick-borne diseases as well as the use of protective practices against tick bites in gardens and public nature areas, using an online questionnaire in the summer of 2020 in Flanders, Belgium. Binomial generalized linear mixed-effects models were constructed to identify which factors influence the use of these protective practices.

A total of 1471 respondents completed the online questionnaire. Performing a tick check is the most frequently used protective practice. Having searched for information on ticks was correlated with the use of all protective practices. Respondents were significantly less likely to use protective practices in their garden compared to public nature areas, but this was heterogeneous across the set of respondents. Respondents that do use protective practices in their gardens are more often over 50 years old and living in high tick-risk areas.

Our findings highlight a lower awareness of tick risks and reduced use of protective practices in private gardens compared to natural settings, emphasizing the need for targeted educational campaigns.