Science Communication & Media
Evaluating Health Promotion and Communication Strategies for Mosquito-Borne Disease Control in the United States: A Scoping Review Protocol Jordan Robinson* Jordan Robinson Robinson Robinson Robinson Robinson University of Arizona
Mosquito-borne diseases (MBD) continue to bring evolving challenges across the Unites States (US). Endemic transmission and periodic outbreaks of West Nile Virus occur throughout much of the country, while expanding Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus populations increase risks of transmitting new MBDs. Public support and engagement are vital aspects of integrated MBD control. However, previous work has shown significant gaps in public knowledge between vector presence and taking action to limit disease exposure. This scoping review aims to identify existing research on measuring the effectiveness of health promotion, health messaging, and communication strategies for mosquito-borne diseases in the United States by evaluating interventions and their assessments. Using the JBI Manual for Evidence Synthesis and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR), we screened 17,686 studies. Eligible studies were experimental trials conducted in the US that tested public education interventions focused on endemic MBDs. Screening occurred in two phases: first by title and abstract review then full text screening. Final selected studies will go through text extraction following a standardized form to gather paper details, intervention type, methodology, outcomes, and key findings. Descriptive and narrative synthesis will summarize these papers under the following categories: disease occurrence and distribution, types of interventions, primary group disseminating messages, assessment and evaluation of interventions, impacts of intervention on MBDs, and study designs utilized. Results from this scoping review will identify any gaps in MBD education and inform future research and outreach priorities.