Disease control, Moredun Research Institute, Pentlands Science Park, Bush Loan, Penicuik EH26 0PZ, UK.
Glasgow University Veterinary School, Scottish Centre for Production Animal Health & Food Safety, Garscube Estate, Bearsden Road, Glasgow G61 1Q, UK.
Prev Vet Med. 2022 Mar;200:105594. doi: 10.1016/j.prevetmed.2022.105594. Epub 2022 Feb 9.
Since 2003, the Sustainable Control Of Parasites in Sheep (SCOPS) group have provided the UK sheep farming industry with guidance on ways to mitigate the development and dissemination of anthelmintic resistance (AR). However our empirical understanding of sheep farmers' influences towards such 'best practice' parasite control approaches is limited, and therefore requires further assessment and evaluation to identify the potential factors influencing their implementation. In 2015, a telephone questionnaire was conducted in order to elicit Scottish sheep farmers' attitudes and behaviours regarding the SCOPS recommended practices, as well as gauging farmers' general attitudes to gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN; term roundworm used in questionnaire) control. A quantitative structural equation modelling (SEM) approach was employed to determine the influences of socio-psychological factors and the uptake of individual anthelmintic resistance mitigating practices including: the implementation of a quarantine strategy for parasite control and the use of parasite diagnostic testing for monitoring faecal egg counts (FEC) and detecting AR. The proposed models established a good fit with the observed data and explained 61%, 54% and 27% of the variance in the adoption of AR testing, FEC monitoring, and quarantine behaviours respectively. The results presented highlight a number of consistent and distinct factors significantly influencing the implementation of selected SCOPS recommended practices. The negative influences of topography and farmer experience was frequently demonstrated in relation to multiple GIN control practices, as well as the positive influences of social norms, worm control knowledge, AR risk perception and positive attitudes to the services provided by the veterinary profession. Factors that were shown to have the greatest relative effects on individual parasite control practices included: the perceived expectation of others (i.e. Social norms) for implementing a quarantine strategy, farmer's suspicions to the presence of AR on the holding for instigating AR testing and the confirmation of AR for adopting FEC monitoring. Determining the influences of behaviour-specific factors on farmers' decision making processes will help to identify and address positive and negative influences concerning implementation of AR mitigating practices, as well as contribute to the development of more evidence based intervention strategies in the future.
自 2003 年以来，可持续控制绵羊寄生虫（SCOPS）小组一直为英国养羊业提供减轻驱虫剂耐药性（AR）发展和传播的方法指导。然而，我们对绵羊养殖户对这些“最佳实践”寄生虫控制方法的影响的实证理解是有限的，因此需要进一步评估和评估，以确定影响其实施的潜在因素。2015 年，进行了电话问卷调查，以了解苏格兰绵羊养殖户对 SCOPS 推荐做法的态度和行为，以及衡量农民对胃肠道线虫（GIN；问卷中使用的蠕虫术语）控制的一般态度。采用定量结构方程模型（SEM）方法来确定社会心理因素的影响以及个别驱虫剂耐药性缓解措施的采用，包括：实施寄生虫控制隔离策略和使用寄生虫诊断测试来监测粪便卵计数（FEC）和检测 AR。提出的模型与观察数据拟合良好，分别解释了 AR 测试、FEC 监测和检疫行为采用的 61%、54%和 27%的方差。所提出的模型强调了许多一致且不同的因素，这些因素显著影响了选定的 SCOPS 推荐实践的实施。地形和农民经验的负面影响经常在多种 GIN 控制措施中表现出来，而社会规范、蠕虫控制知识、AR 风险感知以及对兽医行业提供的服务的积极态度等正面因素也对其产生了积极影响。对个体寄生虫控制措施有最大相对影响的因素包括：实施隔离策略的他人的预期（即社会规范）、对农场中存在 AR 的怀疑以及对采用 FEC 监测的 AR 的确认。确定行为特定因素对农民决策过程的影响，将有助于确定和解决实施 AR 缓解措施的积极和消极影响，并为未来制定更基于证据的干预策略做出贡献。
