Tick Bites
Conditions
Keywords
education, children, prevention
Brief summary
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impacts of informal educational tools used by the Midwest Center of Excellence for Vector-Borne Disease in collaboration with the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. Children aged 6-12 will receive an educational activity about ticks. They will be asked questions before and after the activity and will participate for between 30-60 minutes.
Detailed description
Children will be asked to complete a "before" survey which will include a drawing of a tick and some questions asking about their attitudes towards ticks. They will then complete an educational activity about ticks, and an "after" survey including another drawing and some survey questions. The parent or guardian will fill out a short survey of background information while the child participates in the study.
Interventions
OTHERTick check mannequin
Nymphal and adult blacklegged ticks are glued to the mannequins to mimic potential acquisition or attachment sites. At outreach events, participants are invited to perform a thorough tick check on the mannequin. This activity helps participants identify the different life stages of the blacklegged tick and understand the size differences between nymphal and adult ticks. The "tick check" mannequins also wear both light and dark-colored clothing to show how clothing color affects tick detection.
OTHERTicks on bagel
Adult and nymphal blacklegged ticks are glued to an "everything" bagel. The bagel is covered in sesame and poppy seeds, which is the comparison commonly used to describe the size of adult and nymphal blacklegged ticks, respectively. Participants are then invited to search the bagel for ticks. The activity demonstrates the size differences between the adult and nymphal life stages and the proper search image for finding nymphs during a tick check.
OTHERLEGO Build-a-Tick
The LEGO tick is an activity that leverages play-based learning to increase awareness of ticks and tick-borne diseases, and it has the potential to significantly enhance our educational efforts by increasing engagement. This Build-a-Tick Kit is comprised of 83 LEGO bricks and offers a hands-on learning experience with multiple learning outcomes. Participants learn about the various morphological parts of a blacklegged tick during the building experience, such as the mouth parts and their function in disease transmission, the number of legs, and the body shapes and colors for an adult blacklegged tick. Additional information on ticks and tick-borne diseases is incorporated into the building instructions included in the Build-a-Tick Kit.
Sponsors
University of Wisconsin, Madison
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Study design
Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
OTHER
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
6 Years to 12 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* children aged 6-12 years old
Exclusion criteria
* less than 6 years old or greater than 12 years old
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Tick Education Survey Score | before activity, after activity (up to 60 minutes) | A survey delivered to children before and after an educational activity about ticks. 7 items scored on a 4-point likert scale. Total possible range of scores from \[7-21\] where higher scores indicate increased understanding about ticks. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Time Taken to Complete Activity | up to 60 minutes | — |
| Overall score on post-knowledge survey | up to 60 minutes | Participants will be quizzed and percent correct will be reported. |
| Participant Engagement (semi-observational) | up to 60 minutes | Participants will be surveyed for their post-activity feedback. Emergent themes will be summarized by participant count. |
Countries
United States
Contacts
CONTACTCassie Halvorsen
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORSusan Paskewitz, PhD
University of Wisconsin, Madison
Outcome results
None listed