From Bites to Bytes: Evaluating User Engagement and Mosquito Bite Exposure Patterns with the Bite Diary Smartphone Application

TL;DR

A smartphone app called Bite Diary was developed to track mosquito bites and user engagement, showing promise for better understanding mosquito-human interactions and disease prevention.

Contribution

The novel contribution is the development and evaluation of a smartphone app for recording mosquito bites, enabling detailed spatial and temporal data collection.

Findings

Participants showed high engagement with the Bite Diary app, with 94% of bite records occurring outdoors.

An estimated bite exposure rate of 0.62 mosquito bites per person per day was recorded.

Repellent use was significantly correlated with self-reported bite reactions.

Abstract

Mosquito-borne diseases, including malaria, dengue, chikungunya, and Zika, significantly impact global health. Traditional methods for monitoring human–mosquito contact, such as human landing catch (HLC) and DNA profiling, have limitations, including biases and a lack of detailed temporal and spatial data. HLC may also raise ethical concerns in some settings. To address these challenges, we developed Bite Diary, a smartphone app for systematically recording mosquito bite exposure. Research participants in eastern Florida attended workshops to learn about the project and mosquito identification. They then used a pilot version of Bite Diary over predefined 7-day periods to log mosquito bites, providing data on bite frequency, timing, and context. Finally, they completed an online questionnaire post-monitoring. The study found high levels of participant engagement, and the technical usability of the app was well-received. The estimated bite exposure rate was 0.62 mosquito bites per person per day (SD = 1.63), with 94% of bite records occurring outdoors. A significant correlation was observed between repellent use and self-reported bite reactions. Several design and interface elements requiring improvement were identified for future studies to reduce survey biases. These findings highlight the utility of bite surveys in evaluating human factors that affect mosquito bite exposure and enhancing our understanding of human–mosquito interactions. Our use of a no-code app builder for Bite Diary may enable other research groups to easily create similar surveys, broadening the potential for bite data collection in diverse settings. This tool could significantly aid in developing targeted strategies for mosquito-borne disease prevention and control.

Figures