We used hot spot (Getis-Ord Gi*) analysis to test the hypothesis of whether there are clusters in the number of Tick Presence Reviews. Reviews were evaluated to determine Tick Presence/Absence, the total number of Tick Presence Reviews per trail, and multiple trail and user behavioral characteristics. We reviewed 26,016 user comments left on for 697 Indiana trails. Based on online user reviews and comments, the purpose of this study was to determine risk factors and behavioral recommendations associated with tick encounters ( Tick Presence) on recreational trails in the state of Indiana, U.S.
Although online reviews represent a rich source of user information, they have rarely been used in determining the risk of tick exposure during recreational trail use. Recreational trails abound across the United States and represent high risk areas for tick exposure.