Ontario County Public Health is asking residents to share their experiences with ticks and tick-borne diseases through a survey. Responses are being collected until Dec. 8.
The Tick Prevention Survey takes about five minutes, according to the department’s announcement. It seeks residents’ experiences and opinions about ticks, prevention methods and tick-borne illnesses.
The project is being conducted by a Nazareth University public health student completing an internship with Ontario County Public Health, according to the survey’s introduction. Results will help inform the department’s efforts to educate residents about tick-bite prevention and the risk of tick-borne illness.
What the survey asks
The 12-question form asks where respondents live in Ontario County, their age and gender, whether they have pets that spend time outdoors, and whether anyone in their household has had a tick-borne disease such as Lyme disease.
Other questions cover perceived risk of a tick bite, views about possible long-term health effects and confidence in prevention methods such as repellents, tick checks and staying on cleared trails.
Respondents can identify barriers to prevention, including forgetting tick checks, uncertainty about which products work, access to supplies, inconvenience and concerns about chemical repellents.
The form also asks about confidence in finding and removing an embedded tick, possible barriers to seeking medical care after a bite, and knowledge of early Lyme disease symptoms. Residents can complete the form online or use the QR code on the department’s survey announcement.
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