Modeling Insect-Repellent Use for Chikungunya Disease Prevention Among US-Caribbean Travelers

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of Recreation, Park and Tourism Studies, School of Public Health, Indiana University, Bloomington, USA

2 Department of Tourism, Recreation and Sports Management, University of Florida, Gainesville, USA

Abstract

Introduction: This study examined the relationship between specific psychosocial variables and the use of insect repellents on skin or clothing as a preventive behavior for Chikungunya fever among US travelers to Caribbean destinations.
Methods: A cross-sectional retrospective online survey method was adopted. US residents who travelled to one of 34 Caribbean destinations within the past 12 months and expressed an awareness of Chikungunya fever were invited to participate in this study. Sociodemographic variables, perceived response efficacy, perceived self-efficacy, perceived Chikungunya severity and susceptibility, and self-reported use of insect repellents were investigated.
Results: Results of direct logistic regression analysis revealed a significant association between higher levels of education and the odds of self-reported use of insect repellent on skin or clothing among study participants. Among the proximal Chikungunya-related variables, hierarchical binary logistic regression revealed a significant association between scores on perceived response efficacy, perceived self-efficacy, and perceived severity of self-reported use of insect repellents. These results support the existence of a hierarchical relationship between the more proximal Chikungunya-related variables and self-reported use of insect repellents as a personal protective measure (PPM).
Conclusion: The findings of the current study have important implications for health communication messaging aimed at reducing the spread of Chikungunya among US travelers to Caribbean destinations. It seems essential to establish the use of insect repellent on skin and clothing as a personal preventive measure against Chikungunya disease within an educational context, framed along the lines of Chikungunya severity, response efficacy, and self-efficacy, for US travelers to destinations with a high risk of exposure to Chikungunya disease-carrying mosquitoes.

Keywords

References

Evans SJ. Thousands of holidaymakers return from Caribbean with deadly mosquito virus that Lindsay Lohan was ‘hospitalized’ with. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2942957/Thousands-holidaymakers-return-Caribbean-deadly-mosquito-virus-Lindsay- Lohan-hospitalized-with.html#ixzz3lcIQ7gwY. Accessed October 6, 2016. Published 2015.
Britain warns travellers to the Caribbean about Chikungunya virus. http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/Britain-warns-travellers-to-the-Caribbean-about-Chikungunya-virus. Accessed October 9, 2016. Published 2015.
Pearson E. Nearly 700 New Yorkers caught chikungunya virus last year after travelling to Caribbean or other tropical locales. http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/mosquito-borne-chikungunya-virus-sickening-travelers-article-1.2105584. Accessed October 6, 2016. Published 2015.
Leparc-Goffart I, Nougairede A, Cassadou S, Prat C, de Lamballerie X. Chikungunya in the Americas. Lancet. 2014;383(9916):514. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(14)60185-9.
Chikungunya fever diagnosed among international travelers- -United States, 2005-2006. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2006;55(38):1040-1042.
Sharp TM, Roth NM, Torres J, et al. Chikungunya cases identified through passive surveillance and household investigations--Puerto Rico, May 5-August 12, 2014. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2014;63(48):1121-1128.
Kendrick K, Stanek D, Blackmore C. Notes from the field: Transmission of chikungunya virus in the continental United States-- Florida, 2014. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2014;63(48):1137.
Kuehn BM. Chikungunya virus transmission found in the United States: US health authorities brace for wider spread. JAMA. 2014;312(8):776-777. doi: 10.1001/jama.2014.9916.
Roche B, Gaillard B, Leger L, et al. How human behavior drives the propagation of an emerging infection: the case of the 2014 Chikungunya outbreak in Martinique. bioRxiv. 2016. doi: 10.1101/052183.
US Centers for Disease Control Prevention. Chikungunya in the Caribbean. http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices/watch/ chikungunya-caribbean. Accessed October 6, 2016. Published March 2015.
Nasci RS, Zielinski-Gutierrez E, Wirtz RA, Brogdon WG. Protection against mosquitoes, ticks, & other insects & arthropods. CDC Health Information for International Travel 2014: The Yellow Book. 2013;56(2):94.
US Army Public Health Center. DoD Insect Repellent System. https://phc.amedd.army.mil/topics/envirohealth/epm/Pages/ DoDInsectRepellentSystem.aspx. Accessed October 4, 2016. Published 2016.
Fradin MS, Day JF. Comparative efficacy of insect repellents against mosquito bites. N Engl J Med. 2002;347(1):13-18. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa011699.
Omodior O, Pennington-Gray L, Holland S, Thapa B, Kiousis S. Chikungunya disease awareness among U.S. travelers to Caribbean destinations. Int J Travel Med Glob Health. 2017;5(1):20-27. doi: 10.15171/ijtmgh.2017.04.
Millman AJ, Esposito DH, Biggs HM, et al. Chikungunya and dengue virus infections among United States community service volunteers returning from the Dominican Republic, 2014. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2016;94(6):1336-1341. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.15-0815.
Lalani T, Yun H, Tribble D, et al. A comparison of compliance rates with anti-vectorial protective measures during travel to regions with dengue or chikungunya activity, and regions endemic for Plasmodium falciparum malaria. J Travel Med. 2016;23(5). doi: 10.1093/jtm/taw043.
Dehecq JS, Baville M, Margueron T, Mussard R, Filleul L. The reemergence of the Chikungunya virus in Reunion Island on 2010: evolution of the mosquito control practices. Bull Soc Pathol Exot. 2011;104(2):153-160. doi: 10.1007/s13149-010-0121-5.
Rogers R. Cognitive and physiological processes in fear appeals and attitude change: A revised theory of protection motivation. In: Cacioppo DJ, Petty R, eds. Social Psychophysiology. New York: Guildford Press; 1983:153-176.
Janz NK, Becker MH. The health belief model: a decade later. Health Educ Q. 1984;11(1):1-47. doi: 10.1177/109019818401100101.
Rosenstock IM. Why people use health services. Milbank Q. 2005;83(4). doi: 10.1111/j.1468-0009.2005.00425.x.
Gerrard M, Gibbons FX, Bushman BJ. Relation between perceived vulnerability to HIV and precautionary sexual behavior. Psychol Bull. 1996;119(3):390-409. doi: 10.1037/0033-2909.119.3.390.
Sheeran P, Harris PR, Epton T. Does heightening risk appraisals change people’s intentions and behavior? A meta-analysis of experimental studies. Psychol Bull. 2014;140(2):511-543. doi: 10.1037/a0033065.
Chen JY, Fox SA, Cantrell CH, Stockdale SE, Kagawa-Singer M. Health disparities and prevention: racial/ethnic barriers to flu vaccinations. J Community Health. 2007;32(1):5-20.
Hyman RB, Baker S, Ephraim R, Moadel A, Philip J. Health Belief Model variables as predictors of screening mammography utilization. J Behav Med. 1994;17(4):391-406. doi:10.1007/BF01858010.
Bandura A. Self-efficacy: toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychol Rev. 1977;84(2):191-215.
Floyd DL, Prentice-Dunn S, Rogers RW. A meta-analysis of research on protection motivation theory. J Appl Soc Psychol. 2000;30(2):407-429. doi: 10.1111/j.1559-1816.2000.tb02323.x.
Jessor R, Turbin MS, Costa FM. Protective factors in adolescent health behavior. J Pers Soc Psychol. 1998;75(3):788-800. doi: 10.1037/0278-6133.13.1.86.
Boer H, Seydel ER. Protection Motivation Theory. Philadelphia: Open University Press; 1996.
Milne S, Sheeran P, Orbell S. Prediction and intervention in health-related behavior: a meta-analytic review of protection motivation theory. J Appl Soc Psychol. 2000;30(1):106-143. doi: 10.1111/j.1559-1816.2000.tb02308.x.
Jones JL, Leary MR. Effects of appearance-based admonitions against sun exposure on tanning intentions in young adults. Health Psychol. 1994;13(1):86-90. doi: 10.1037/0278-6133.13.1.86.
Wulfert E, Wan CK. Condom use: a self-efficacy model. Health Psychol. 1993;12(5):346-353. doi: 10.1037/0278-6133.12.5.346.
Kaiser HF. An index of factorial simplicity. Psychometrika. 1974;39(1):31-36. doi: 10.1007/BF02291575.
Pallant J. SPSS Survival Manual: A Step by Step Guide to Data Analysis Using SPSS. Maidenhead: Open University Press/ McGraw-Hill; 2010.
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Chikungunya. https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/diseases/Chikungunya. Accessed March 16, 2017. Published 2013.
Rippetoe PA, Rogers RW. Effects of components of protection-motivation theory on adaptive and maladaptive coping with a health threat. J Pers Soc Psychol. 1987;52(3):596-604. doi: 10.1037/0022-3514.52.3.596.
Ho R. Predicting intention for protective health behaviour: A test of the protection versus the ordered protection motivation model. Aust J Psychol. 2000;52(2):110-118. doi: 10.1080/00049530008255376.
Umeh K. Cognitive appraisals, maladaptive coping, and past behaviour in protection motivation. Psychol Health. 2004;19(6):719-735. doi: 10.1080/0887044042000196692.
Galanos AN, Strauss RP, Pieper CF. Sociodemographic correlates of health beliefs among black and white community dwelling elderly individuals. Int J Aging Hum Dev. 1994;38(4):339-350. doi: 10.2190/62KA-FWN1-6XV5-PR2Q.
Kegeles SS, Kirscht JP, Haefner DP, Rosenstock IM. Survey of beliefs about cancer detection and taking Papanicolaou tests. Public Health Rep. 1965;80(9):815-823. doi: 10.2307/4592543.
Moro ML, Gagliotti C, Silvi G, et al. Knowledge, attitudes and practices survey after an outbreak of chikungunya infections. Int Health. 2010;2(3):223-227. doi: 10.1016/j.inhe.2010.07.003.
Jepson C, Kessler LG, Portnoy B, Gibbs T. Black-white differences in cancer prevention knowledge and behavior. Am J Public Health. 1991;81(4):501-504. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.81.4.501.
Aspinwall LG, Kemeny ME, Taylor SE, Schneider SG, Dudley JP. Psychosocial predictors of gay men’s AIDS risk-reduction behavior. Health Psychol. 1991;10(6):432-444. doi:10.1037/0278- 6133.10.6.432.
Owens RG, Daly J, Heron K, Leinster SJ. Psychological and social characteristics of attenders for breast screening. Psychol Health. 1987;1(4):303-313. doi: 10.1080/08870448708400333.
International Journal of Travel Medicine and Global Health
Volume 5, Issue 4
Autumn 2017
Pages 125-134

Files

History

  • Receive Date: 30 August 2017
  • Revise Date: 17 September 2017
  • Accept Date: 23 September 2017

Share

How to cite

Statistics