As invasive tick species, such as the Asian longhorned tick ( Haemaphysalis longicornis), continue spreading to new geographic areas within the U.S. were first detected in producers, including Heartland and Bourbon viruses. Seroprevalence surveys for TBDs outside of North America portray producers as a high-risk group. Livestock producers are one of the occupational groups with a high exposure risk to ticks and TBDs because of frequent outdoor activities in tick habitats. Understanding knowledge, attitudes, and practices of occupational groups at high exposure risk to ticks and TBDs can guide targeted education for promoting public and animal health through appropriate biosecurity measures. Consequently, KAP surveys have been widely used in TBD research targeting either the public or select high-risk occupational groups, such as forest workers and farmers. Knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) surveys are popular in the health and social sciences because they are a resource-efficient mechanism that identifies deficiencies in a target population that can be addressed via evidence-based interventions. Therefore, broadly understanding how to prevent and control ticks and TBDs (i.e., biosecurity measures) is a key concern for animal, public, and environmental health. spp.), thereby exerting a significant impact on animal and public health as well as economic challenges to the agricultural sector. Each of these species transmits various disease agents, which span viruses (e.g. pacificus), and American dog ticks ( Dermacentor variabilis and D. Several ticks of veterinary and medical concern exist in North America including the Lone star tick ( Amblyomma americanum), Gulf coast tick ( Amblyomma maculatum), Rocky Mountain wood tick ( Dermacentor andersoni), brown dog tick, ( Rhipicephalus sanguineus), blacklegged ticks ( Ixodes scapularis and I. Multiple drivers, such as climate change, land use, human behavior, and abundance of host reservoirs, have been implicated in the expansion of ticks and their associated disease agents. In North America, hard-bodied ticks and tick-borne diseases (TBDs) are increasing in distribution and incidence across human, domestic animal, and wildlife populations. Our study can guide others in regions faced with similar tick and TBD risks to protect occupational and livestock health. This is especially important for farm employees that may practice less prevention because of lower awareness. Our findings indicate that producers in Ohio practice prevention for themselves and their livestock, but demonstrate gaps in knowledge (e.g., TBD occurrence) and attitudes (e.g., health risks) that could be addressed via educational formats we found producers preferred (e.g., extension materials), to encourage informed prevention. The others generally practiced less prevention and consisted primarily of farm employees. Cluster analysis ( n = 48) identified three groups: the largest ( n = 21) was considered “aware and cautious” consisting primarily of farm owners. Regardless, most producers did employ at least one prevention method for themselves (96.5%) and their animals (82.5%). Interestingly, most (54.4%) thought ticks pose major health risks for their livestock but fewer (49.1%) thought the same for humans. Although several TBDs are present in Ohio, most (> 50%) producers were unsure or unaware of their presence. Responses from 57 producers showed that most (52.6%) think the American dog tick ( Dermacentor variabilis) is found in Ohio but are unsure about other species. We generated descriptive statistics and conducted a multiple correspondence analysis followed by hierarchical clustering on principal components to identify producers with similar response profiles. To help address this gap, an electronic questionnaire was distributed to livestock producers in Ohio, U.S, a state with a robust agricultural sector. However, among occupational groups with high exposure risk from ticks and TBDs are livestock producers, of which we know little about. studies have examined knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding ticks and TBDs for various cohorts of people. diseases or syndromes associated with ticks) rises for humans and animals, making prevention critical. As tick ranges expand across North America, the risk of tick bites and tick-borne diseases (TBDs, i.e.
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