An online survey of personal mosquito-repellent strategies

An online survey of personal mosquito-repellent strategies

Mosquito repellents can be an effective method for personal protection against mosquito bites that are a nuisance and carry the risk of transmission of mosquito-borne pathogens like , dengue virus, chikungunya virus, and Zika virus. A multitude of commercially available products are currently on the...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:PeerJ (San Francisco, CA) Vol. 6; p. e5151
Main Authors: Moore, Emily Lucille, Scott, Mary Alice, Rodriguez, Stacy Deadra, Mitra, Soumi, Vulcan, Julia, Cordova, Joel Javierla, Chung, Hae-Na, Linhares Lino de Souza, Debora, Gonzales, Kristina Kay, Hansen, Immo Alex
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: United States PeerJ. Ltd 03-07-2018
PeerJ, Inc
PeerJ Inc
Subjects:
Aedes albopictus
Animal Behavior
Arthropoda
Arthropods
Culicidae
DEET
Dengue fever
Developing countries
Education
Entomology
Ingredients
Insect bites
Insect control
Insect repellents
Internet
LDCs
Methods
Mosquito
Mosquito control
Mosquitoes
Musca domestica
Oils & fats
Pathogens
Plasmodia
Public Health
Repellents
Schinus molle
Survey
Surveys
Traditional medicine
Vectors (Biology)
New Mexico
United States > US
Mosquito
Survey
Repellents
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Mosquito repellents can be an effective method for personal protection against mosquito bites that are a nuisance and carry the risk of transmission of mosquito-borne pathogens like , dengue virus, chikungunya virus, and Zika virus. A multitude of commercially available products are currently on the market, some of them highly effective while others have low or no efficacy. Many home remedies of unknown efficacy are also widely used. We conducted a survey study to determine what kind of mosquito repellents and other mosquito control strategies people use. Our online survey was focused on unconventional methods and was answered by 5,209 participants. The majority of participants resided in the United States, were female (67%), had higher education (81% had a university degree), and were 18 to 37 years old (50%). The most commonly used repellent was DEET spray (48%), followed closely by citronella candles (43%) and 'natural' repellent sprays (36%). We collected a plethora of home remedies and other strategies people use that warrant further research into their effectiveness. Our study lays the foundation for future research in alternative, unconventional methods to repel mosquitoes that may be culturally acceptable and accessible for people.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
content type line 23
ISSN:2167-8359
2167-8359
DOI:10.7717/peerj.5151