Grant Claire, Kaler Jasmeet, Ferguson Eamonn, O'Kane Holly, Green Laura Elizabeth
School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Gibbet Hill Road, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK.
School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Sutton Bonington, Leicestershire LE12 5RD, UK.
Prev Vet Med. 2018 Jan 1;149:82-91. doi: 10.1016/j.prevetmed.2017.11.013. Epub 2017 Nov 11.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of three knowledge-transfer intervention trial types (postal, group, one-to-one) to promote best practice to treat sheep with footrot. Further aims were to investigate whether farmer behaviour (i.e. management of lameness) before the trial was associated with uptake of best practice and whether the benefits of best practice framed positively or negatively influenced change in behaviour. The intervention was a message developed from evidence and expert opinion. It was entitled "Six steps to sound sheep" and promoted (1) catch sheep within three days of becoming lame, (2) inspect feet without foot trimming, (3) correctly diagnose the cause, (4) treat sheep lame with footrot or interdigital dermatitis with antibiotic injection and spray without foot trimming, (5) record the identity of treated sheep, (6) cull repeatedly lame sheep. In 2013, 4000 randomly-selected English sheep farmers were sent a questionnaire, those who responded were recruited to the postal (1081 farmers) or one-to-one intervention (32 farmers) trials. A random sample of 400 farmers were invited to join the group trial; 78 farmers participated. A follow-up questionnaire was sent to all participants in summer 2014. There were 72%, 65% and 91% useable responses for the postal, group and one-to-one trials respectively. In both 2013 and 2014, the prevalence of lameness was lower in flocks managed by LC1 farmers than LC2 and LC3 farmers. Between 2013 and 2014, the reduction in geometric mean (95% CI) period prevalence of lameness, proportional between flock reduction in lameness and within flock reduction in lameness was greatest in the one-to-one (7.6% (7.1-8.2%) to 4.3% (3.6-5.0%), 35%, 72%) followed by the group (4.5% (3.9-5.0%) to 3.1% (2.4-3.7%), 27%, 55%) and then the postal trial (from 3.5% (3.3-3.7%) to 3.2% (3.1-3.4%), 21%, 43%). There was a marginally greater reduction in lameness in farmers using most of Six steps but slow to treat lame sheep pre-trial than those not using Six steps at all. There was no significant effect of message framing. The greatest behavioural change was a reduction in therapeutic and routine foot trimming and the greatest attitude change was an increase in negative attitudes towards foot trimming. We conclude that all three intervention trial approaches were effective to promote best practice to treat sheep with footrot with one-to-one facilitation more effective than group and postal intervention trials. Results suggest that farmers' behaviour change was greater among those practising aspects of the intervention message before the trial began than those not practising any aspect.
本研究的目的是评估三种知识转移干预试验类型（邮寄、小组、一对一）在推广治疗羊腐蹄病最佳实践方面的有效性。进一步的目的是调查试验前农民的行为（即跛行管理）是否与最佳实践的采用相关，以及最佳实践以积极还是消极的方式呈现是否会影响行为变化。干预措施是根据证据和专家意见制定的一条信息。其标题为“让羊保持健康的六个步骤”，并提倡：（1）在羊跛行三天内抓捕；（2）不修剪蹄子检查蹄部；（3）正确诊断病因；（4）用抗生素注射和喷雾治疗患腐蹄病或趾间皮炎的跛行羊，不修剪蹄子；（5）记录治疗羊的身份；（6）淘汰反复跛行的羊。2013年，向4000名随机挑选的英国养羊农民发送了问卷，回复者被招募参加邮寄试验（1081名农民）或一对一干预试验（32名农民）。随机抽取400名农民邀请其参加小组试验；78名农民参与。2014年夏天向所有参与者发送了一份随访问卷。邮寄、小组和一对一试验的可用回复率分别为72%、65%和91%。在2013年和2014年，由LC1农民管理的羊群中跛行的患病率低于LC2和LC3农民管理的羊群。在2013年至2014年期间，跛行的几何平均（95%CI）期间患病率的降低、羊群间跛行减少比例和羊群内跛行减少比例在一对一试验中最大（从7.6%（7.1 - 8.2%）降至4.3%（3.6 - 5.0%），35%，72%），其次是小组试验（从4.5%（3.9 - 5.0%）降至3.1%（2.4 - 3.7%），27%，55%），然后是邮寄试验（从3.5%（3.3 - 3.7%）降至3.2%（3.1 - 3.4%），21%，43%）。在试验前使用大部分六个步骤但治疗跛行羊较慢的农民中，跛行减少幅度略大于完全不使用六个步骤的农民。信息呈现方式没有显著影响。最大的行为变化是治疗性和常规蹄部修剪的减少，最大的态度变化是对蹄部修剪的负面态度增加。我们得出结论，所有三种干预试验方法在推广治疗羊腐蹄病的最佳实践方面都是有效的，一对一促进比小组和邮寄干预试验更有效。结果表明，在试验开始前实践干预信息各方面的农民比未实践任何方面的农民行为变化更大。
