Volume 14, Number 2—February 2008
Research
Effectiveness of Personal Protective Measures to Prevent Lyme Disease
Table 3
Personal protective measures and risk factors for Lyme disease, Connecticut, July 2000 through February 2003
Personal protective measures | Case-patients, no. (%) | Matched controls, no. (%) | Odds ratio* (95% CI)† | p value |
---|---|---|---|---|
Use of protective clothing while outdoors | ||||
Definite | 215 (46) N = 467 | 427 (59) N = 724 | 0.6 (0.5–0.7) | <0.0001 |
Definite and possible | 265 (46) N = 572 | 524 (58) N = 898 | 0.6 (0.5–0.8) | <0.0001 |
Unlikely |
72 (53)
N = 137 |
121 (53)
N = 230 |
0.9 (0.6- 1.3) |
0.55 |
Use of tick repellents on skin or clothing while outdoors | ||||
Definite | 138 (30) N = 467 | 252 (35) N = 724 | 0.8 (0.6–0.9) | 0.04 |
Definite and possible | 168 (29) N = 570 | 303 (34) N = 890 | 0.8 (0.6–0.99) | 0.0499 |
Unlikely |
37 (27)
N = 136 |
64 (28)
N = 228 |
0.9 (0.6–1.5) |
0.83 |
Spraying property with tick acaricides | ||||
Definite | 16 (7) N = 237 | 52 (11) N = 467 | 0.6 (0.3–1.1) | 0.09 |
Definite and possible | 19 (7) N = 285 | 62 (11) N = 557 | 0.6 (0.3–1.0) | 0.06 |
Unlikely |
3 (8)
N = 36 |
16 (12)
N = 133 |
0.7 (0.2–3.0) |
0.61 |
Checking the body for ticks after exposure | ||||
Definite | 360 (77) N = 467 | 560 (77) N = 724 | 1.1 (0.8–1.4) | 0.64 |
Definite and possible | 443 (77) N = 572 | 703 (78) N = 898 | 1.0 (0.8–1.4) | 0.81 |
Unlikely | 107 (78) N = 137 | 181 (79) N = 230 | 0.9 (0.5–1.5) | 0.61 |
*All estimates were adjusted for possible confounders (sex, race, receipt of Lyme vaccine, and use of other personal protective measures) with conditional logistic regression.
†CI, confidence interval.