Lyme Disease Risk Influences Human Settlement in the Wildland–Urban Interface: Evidence from a Longitudinal Analysis of Counties in the Northeastern United States

• DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.14-0181
• Publication Date: 2014-07-22T02:54:50Z
• Authors: Ashley E. Larsen; Andrew J. MacDonald; Andrew J. Plantinga
• Keywords: Settlement (finance)

The expansion of human settlement into wildland areas, including forests in the eastern United States, has resulted fragmented forest habitat that been shown to drive higher entomological risk for Lyme disease. We investigated an alternative pathway between fragmentation and disease, namely whether increased disease results a reduced propensity settle high-risk areas at interface developed undeveloped lands. used longitudinal data analyses county level determine incidence (LDI) influences proportion population residing wildland-urban 12 high LDI states States. found robust evidence reduces county's high-LDI states. This study provides some first behavioral responses via decisions.