{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,7]],"date-time":"2026-05-07T04:04:35Z","timestamp":1778126675086,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":28,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,6,30]],"date-time":"2022-06-30T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1656547200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001691","name":"Japan Society for the Promotion of Science","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["16K00569"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["16K00569"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001691","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS ONE"],"abstract":"<jats:sec id=\"sec001\">\n<jats:title>Objective<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>This study examined the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of an at-risk population living in Niigata prefecture regarding tick-borne diseases (TBDs) and preventive strategies.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec002\">\n<jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was conducted to assess the KAP of the community.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec003\">\n<jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>In total, 186 responses were received. Among the respondents, 130 (69\u00b79%) were men, and the mean age was 51.1 (14\u00b73). Nine (4\u00b78%) respondents reported having experienced tick bites. Of the respondents, 44 (23.7%) knew about both scrub typhus and severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome, while 156 (83\u00b79%) and 71 (38\u00b72%) recognized limiting skin exposure and use of insect repellents as preventive measures, respectively. The attitudes towards TBDs: being worried about tick bites (p = 0\u00b7018) and interested in preventing TBDs (p = 0\u00b7001), were significantly higher among women than men. About 75% of the respondents reported taking preventive measures against tick bites, and limiting skin exposure was the most frequently applied method (69\u00b79%). Insect repellents were used by 58 (31\u00b72%) respondents. Age (p = 0\u00b7049), being worried about tick bites (p = 0\u00b7046), and knowledge of ticks score (p = 0\u00b7024) were the significant independent predictors of practicing countermeasures.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec004\">\n<jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>We identified gaps in knowledge and practices regarding TBDs. Public health interventions should be implemented to improve public awareness of TBDs.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0270411","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,6,30]],"date-time":"2022-06-30T17:34:34Z","timestamp":1656610474000},"page":"e0270411","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":8,"title":["Knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding tick-borne diseases among an at-risk population living in Niigata prefecture, Japan"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"Taichi","family":"Narita","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Hansani Madushika","family":"Abeywickrama","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9204-0602","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Marcello Otake","family":"Sato","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Kozo","family":"Watanabe","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Reiko","family":"Arai","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Tsutomu","family":"Tamura","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4374-8070","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Megumi","family":"Sato","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,6,30]]},"reference":[{"key":"pone.0270411.ref001","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"685","DOI":"10.1023\/A:1006241108739","article-title":"Ticks feeding on humans: a review of records on human-biting Ixodoidea with special reference to pathogen transmission","volume":"23","author":"A Estrada-Pe\u00f1a","year":"1999","journal-title":"Exp. 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