Pamphlet: Lyme Disease
Lyme disease is an easily avoided, debilitating health issue that affects thousands of people each year. Lyme disease is spread by the bite of the deer tick or other similar ticks. Although it was once thought of as merely a rural issue, Lyme disease is now appearing more frequently in urban areas. According to Manku, Seifeldin, and Hemady (2005), ticks may get their “initial blood meal from an infected reservoir host, such as white-footed mice, birds, rodents, bats, armadillos, and other small mammals,” all of which form a link in the Lyme disease cycle (p. 21). This increase in urban incidents make Lyme disease an ever-increasing threat to urban health, particularly in that some of the population outside of rural areas might not be aware of the disease or its cause. For this reason, the pamphlet on Lyme disease was selected for analysis.
Pamphlet Layout
This pamphlet has a tri-fold format. It is primarily in black and white, both text and illustrations; however, the title of the pamphlet is green. The illustrations convey the intent of the pamphlet very effectively: the cover consists of two people in a field watching wildlife, the back of the pamphlet portrays a leaping deer, and the inside of the pamphlet contains an illustration of a “lone star tick,” which is the vector for the disease. All of the illustrations are attractively done, or at least are tastefully done, in the case of the tick. The topics within the text are set off from each other by blocks of white text set on black background that spans the width of the column. The pamphlet text is easy to read, both in size and in font.
Content & Quality
The quality of the content is high, being concise and still providing sufficient information for the reader to improve his or her understanding of the topic. The content has a great deal of depth and breadth for its limited length. As suggested in Ivnik and Jett (2008), this pamphlet provides information that the reader needs to know, rather than merely providing information that is “nice to know” (pp. 1038-1039). The pamphlet 1) describes both the condition and the treatment, 2) provides a decision-making tool, 3) uses personal pronouns in an active voice, and 4) explains medical jargon in context, among other things (Ivnik & Jett, 2008). All of these things create high quality content overall.
Reading Level, Clarity, & Examples
This pamphlet is very easy for an adult to read with only an average reading level, at least by individuals who are fluent in English. The steps between the questions are small, starting with the nature of Lyme disease, its cause, and its signs and symptoms. The arrangement of the questions leads the reader to follow a line of reasoning about the illness, which may enable them to determine whether they should seek a doctor’s care or not. Both the text and the progression should be easy to follow for most individuals who read the pamphlet. The descriptions of both the early and the later Lyme disease symptoms should provide sufficient information for the average person to be able to identify them.
Each section contains examples or descriptions, as well as mere dry recitation of fact. For example, the author provides a description of the rash caused by a Lyme disease-bearing tick, and likens it to a “bull’s-eye” for clarity (Texas Department of State Health Services, Zoonosis Control, 2005). This image is common enough for modern audiences to understand and imagine, as it is frequently used in logos, such as that used for the Target department store.
Usefulness and Cultural Sensitivity
In general, this pamphlet is highly informative and useful. It not only supplies information about Lyme disease, but it also provides information as to how to identify it, how to prevent it, and how to treat it. The information on how to remove a tick that has been embedded in the skin may help prevent a person from being infected. Unfortunately, this pamphlet focuses on providing information about Lyme disease infection taking place in a rural setting, rather than including the urban setting as well. The people on the cover of the pamphlet are not readily identified as belonging to any particular race; however, there is little cultural connection with Lyme disease and its incidence addressed in this pamphlet. In the urban setting, more African American individuals might be expected to have contact with it, due to the vectors that carry it.
Helpful Hints
The pamphlet provides excellent details about self-care, first, in terms of prevention and, second, by providing information about how to remove an attached tick. The prevention methods are simple, suggesting where to walk, what to wear, the best kind of insecticide to use, and keeping pets free from ticks. In addition to its removal, the pamphlet warns of the danger of contact with the tick itself. The author of the pamphlet also indicates that one method of preventing Lyme disease may come from controlling ticks on the family pets, as well.
Conclusion
This pamphlet provides a great deal of useable and useful information in an easily understood format. The information is aimed primarily at a rural or suburban audience, which may slant it toward the white or Hispanic audiences; however, these areas are those that are usually those that are exposed to Lyme disease.
This pamphlet is produced by the Texas Department of State Health Services, Zoonosis Control and is aimed at the population in Texas, whose rural and suburban population might be apt to be exposed to ticks in high grass. The purpose of the department is to prevent the spread of illness through animal hosts.
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References
Ivnik, M. & Jett, M. Y. (2008). Creating written patient education materials. Chest magazine, 133(4): 1038.
Manku, K., Seifeldin, R. R., and Hemady, N. (2005). Case report: Lyme disease–Rural to urban. Hospital Physician. Retrieved 21 June 2008 from http://www.turner-white.com/memberfile.php?PubCode=hp_jan05_lyme.pdf
Texas Department of State Health Services, Zoonosis Control. Lyme disease. (2005). Retrieved 21 June 2008 from http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/idcu/disease/lyme/lyme.pdf