Kiambi Stella, Mwanza Rosemary, Sirma Anima, Czerniak Christine, Kimani Tabitha, Kabali Emmanuel, Dorado-Garcia Alejandro, Eckford Suzanne, Price Cortney, Gikonyo Stephen, Byarugaba Denis K, Caudell Mark A
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Nairobi PO Box 30470, Kenya.
State Department of Livestock Production, Livestock Fisheries and Cooperative, Ministry of Agriculture, Nairobi PO Box 34188, Kenya.
Antibiotics (Basel). 2021 Jan 22;10(2):106. doi: 10.3390/antibiotics10020106.
The poultry sector contributes significantly to Kenya's food and economic security. This contribution is expected to rise dramatically with a growing population, urbanization, and preferences for animal-source foods. Antimicrobial resistance is putting the poultry sector in Kenya-and worldwide-at risk of production losses due to the failure of medicines for animal (and human) health. The emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance has been linked to overuse and misuse of antimicrobials in poultry and other sectors. Previous studies have documented poultry farmer antimicrobial use but without systematic consideration of the contexts (i.e., drivers) as important targets for behavior change, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. To improve understanding of antimicrobial use patterns in poultry systems, we conducted a mixed-methods knowledge, attitudes, and practices study of 76 layer farms in Kiambu County; Kenya. We found that commonly used antibiotics were often labeled for prophylactic, growth promotion, and egg production improvement purposes. Antimicrobial use was also motivated by the presence of diseases/disease symptoms, most of which could instead be managed through infection prevention measures. The results suggest that improving vaccination and biosecurity practices on farms and engaging with drug-makers to ensure proper labeling and marketing of antimicrobial drugs may represent important areas of opportunity for social behavior change communication and/or behavioral science interventions (i.e., nudges) to reduce disease burdens and promote prudent antimicrobial use. We conclude our findings with suggestions for further research into the behavioral insights at play in these scenarios to fuel future intervention development.
家禽养殖部门对肯尼亚的粮食安全和经济安全做出了重大贡献。随着人口增长、城市化进程加快以及对动物源食品偏好的增加，这一贡献预计将大幅上升。抗菌药物耐药性正使肯尼亚乃至全球的家禽养殖部门面临因动物（及人类）健康用药失效而导致生产损失的风险。抗菌药物耐药性的出现和传播与在家禽及其他部门过度使用和滥用抗菌药物有关。此前的研究记录了家禽养殖户使用抗菌药物的情况，但没有系统地考虑将相关背景因素（即驱动因素）作为行为改变的重要目标，尤其是在低收入和中等收入国家。为了更好地了解家禽养殖系统中的抗菌药物使用模式，我们对肯尼亚基安布县的76个蛋鸡养殖场进行了一项混合方法的知识、态度和行为研究。我们发现，常用抗生素通常被标注用于预防、促进生长和提高产蛋量。疾病/疾病症状的存在也促使了抗菌药物的使用，而其中大多数情况可以通过感染预防措施来控制。结果表明，改善养殖场的疫苗接种和生物安全措施，以及与制药商合作以确保抗菌药物的正确标注和销售，可能是社会行为改变沟通和/或行为科学干预（即助推）的重要机会领域，以减轻疾病负担并促进谨慎使用抗菌药物。我们在结论中提出了进一步研究这些场景中行为洞察的建议，以为未来干预措施的开发提供依据。
