A Lyme Disease Education Program that Works

For Release at 5:30 PM CT, Friday Oct. 25, 2002

Targeting an at-risk population through interactive education may result in a significantly reduced chance of contracting Lyme disease, according to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana.

While a number of strategies to prevent Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses have been employed, few have been evaluated for their effectiveness. In this study, researchers designed and tested a health educational program delivered over three summers to 30,164 ferry passengers traveling to Nantucket Island, Mass. (a location where tick-borne illnesses are prevalent). The control group received education about bicycle and rollerblade safety. Based on follow-up questionnaires from 21,852 individuals, researchers determined that overall, the experimental group showed lower rates of tick-borne illness. However, when researchers examined how the education program worked on individuals who were on the Island for shorter or longer periods of time, they found that the education had a more powerful effect on those who visited the Island for more than two weeks. Researchers speculate that these individuals had a chance to take precautions for longer periods of tick exposure, which translated into a greater opportunity to prevent a tick infection.

"Most people in the study had already heard about how to prevent Lyme disease, so it's clear that didactic campaigns, or campaigns to get out the facts only get you so far," said Nancy A. Shadick, MD, a rheumatologist at Brigham & Women's Hospital and an investigator in the study. "Our interactive educational program went the next step and got people's attention, made it fun, and increased tick prevention skills and self-confidence."

The American College of Rheumatology is the professional organization for rheumatologists and health professionals who share a dedication to healing, preventing disability and curing arthritis and related rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases. For more information on the ACR's annual meeting, see www.rheumatology.org.