Pao Hai-Ni, Jackson Elizabeth L, Yang Tsang-Sung, Tsai Jyan-Syung, Hwang Yi-Ting, Sung Watson H T, Pfeiffer Dirk U
Veterinary Epidemiology, Economics and Public Health Group, Department of Pathobiology and Population Sciences, Royal Veterinary College, Hatfield, UK.
School of Management and Marketing, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia.
One Health. 2024 Jul 3;19:100852. doi: 10.1016/j.onehlt.2024.100852. eCollection 2024 Dec.
Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) is an important zoonotic disease. The study aims to identify farmer behaviour types to inform the design of behaviour change programmes for mitigating the transmission of HPAI. Therefore, the study utilised multivariate statistical analysis for gaining a better understanding of the relationships among farmers' 30 biosecurity behaviours, the risk of HPAI infection, and distinct features of commercial broiler farmers, which is different from using simple and few binary biosecurity measures. Convenience sampling was used to collect data from 303 Taiwan's farmers among which 40 farmers (13.2%) self-reported having had a HPAI outbreak in the study year while 16 farmers (5.3%) self-reported having had a HPAI outbreak in the past two years. Using categorical principal components analysis and a two-stage cluster analysis, four farmer clusters were identified with distinct features: 1)'Reserved' (4.6%) tended to choose 'No idea' for answering specific questions about HPAI; 2)'Secure' (76.3%) had a higher biosecurity status than the other farms; 3) 'Jeopardised' (16.8%) had a lower biosecurity status than the other farms; 4) 'No-response' (2.3%) tended to skip specific questions about HPAI. The biosecurity status of the 'Reserved' and 'No-response' clusters was undetermined, placing these farms at risk of HPAI infection. Compared to the 'Secure' cluster, the 'Jeopardised' cluster exhibited higher odds of self-reported HPAI in the study year (OR: 2.61, 95% CI: 1.22-5.58) and in the past two years (OR: 4.28, 95% CI: 1.39-13.19). Additionally, the 'Jeopardised' cluster showed increased odds of HPAI recurrence (OR: 4.01, 95% CI: 1.41-11.43). Our study demonstrates that inadequate biosecurity practices can elevate the occurrence or recurrence of HPAI outbreaks. The findings underscore the importance of distinguishing between these clusters to accurately assess the risk of HPAI infection across farms. Furthermore, understanding farmers' behaviours can inform the development of strategies aimed at behaviour change among farmers.
高致病性禽流感（HPAI）是一种重要的人畜共患病。本研究旨在识别养殖户的行为类型，以为减轻高致病性禽流感传播的行为改变计划的设计提供依据。因此，本研究采用多元统计分析，以便更好地理解养殖户的30种生物安全行为、高致病性禽流感感染风险以及商业肉鸡养殖户的不同特征之间的关系，这与使用简单且数量有限的二元生物安全措施有所不同。本研究采用便利抽样法，从303名台湾养殖户中收集数据，其中40名养殖户（13.2%）自报在研究年度发生过高致病性禽流感疫情，16名养殖户（5.3%）自报在过去两年内发生过高致病性禽流感疫情。通过分类主成分分析和两阶段聚类分析，确定了四个具有不同特征的养殖户类别：1）“保守型”（4.6%）在回答有关高致病性禽流感的具体问题时倾向于选择“不知道”；2）“安全型”（76.3%）的生物安全状况高于其他养殖场；3）“危险型”（16.8%）的生物安全状况低于其他养殖场；4）“无回应型”（2.3%）倾向于跳过有关高致病性禽流感的具体问题。“保守型”和“无回应型”类别的生物安全状况尚未确定，这使这些养殖场面临高致病性禽流感感染的风险。与“安全型”类别相比，“危险型”类别在研究年度（比值比：2.61，95%置信区间：1.22 - 5.58）和过去两年内（比值比：4.28，95%置信区间：1.39 - 13.19）自报高致病性禽流感的几率更高。此外，“危险型”类别显示高致病性禽流感复发几率增加（比值比：4.01，95%置信区间：1.41 - 11.43）。我们的研究表明，生物安全措施不足会增加高致病性禽流感疫情的发生或复发。研究结果强调了区分这些类别以准确评估各养殖场高致病性禽流感感染风险的重要性。此外，了解养殖户的行为可为制定旨在改变养殖户行为的策略提供依据。
