Organisational intentions and responses: presenting the risk of Lyme disease to countryside users

Abstract

With more people working or recreating in the countryside, there is a need for land-based organisations to manage potential risks. We explore the role of risk communication as a tool for preventing staff or the wider publics contracting Lyme disease. Through interviews with representatives of land-based organisations and content analysis of information they provide, we focus on the relationship between organisational attitudes towards Lyme disease and the information they provide. While there is an appetite for a consistent approach to communicating about Lyme disease, we found that there is currently no clear agreement over the level of information that should be communicated, how and to whom. Moreover, how organisations approach risk communication in practice is variable. A potential solution would be an accessible resource base which provides accurate and consistent information that can be tailored to different audiences.