An evaluation of the public’s Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices (KAP) in Trinidad and Tobago regarding sharks and shark consumption

Abstract

There is a global lack of data concerning shark consumption trends, consumer attitudes, and public knowledge regarding sharks. This is the case in Trinidad and Tobago, where shark is a popular culinary delicacy. A Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices (KAP) survey was conducted in Trinidad and Tobago. Six hundred and seven questionnaires were administered. Univariate and stepwise multivariate logistic regressions were performed to test the association between KAP and demographic categories. The response rate was 93.4% with 567 questionnaires returned (473 from Trinidad and 94 from Tobago). Two hundred and seventeen (38.3%) participants were knowledgeable, 422 (74.4%) displayed attitudes in favour of shark conservation and sustainable use, and 270 (47.6%) displayed practices promoting shark conservation and sustainable use. Island (AOR = 2.81, CI = 1.78, 4.46) and tertiary education (AOR = 2.31, CI = 1.20, 4.46) significantly influenced knowledge level. Gender (AOR = 1.50, CI = 1.02, 2.20) and island (AOR = 0.56, CI = 0.35, 0.90) significantly influenced attitude. Gender (COR = 1.59, CI = 1.14, 2.22) was significantly associated with practices. Over 70% of respondents ate shark, and 54.7% ate shark infrequently enough to avoid risks from heavy metal toxicity. Our results may be useful to develop public awareness and practice improvement initiatives in order to improve KAP regarding shark meat consumption.

Consumption of shark products: The interface of sustainability, trade (mis)labelling, human health and human rights

“…For example, three quarters of shark consumers surveyed in Trinidad & Tobago were in favour of shark conservation and sustainable use. However, few survey participants could name the shark species locally consumed likely because most consumers bought cooked shark from food stalls and restaurants, which do not commonly differentiate between species during marketing and sales (Ali et al, 2020).…”

Spatial Connectivity and Drivers of Shark Habitat Use Within a Large Marine Protected Area in the Caribbean, The Bahamas Shark Sanctuary

“…The Greater Caribbean contains some of the highest records of marine biodiversity in the Atlantic (Roberts et al, 2002) and was recently identified as a priority region for establishing MPAs to meet ambitious spatial conservation targets to protect 30% of oceans by 2030 (Zhao et al, 2020). Yet, historical and recent overfishing, combined with the consumption of sharks in the region (e.g., Ali et al, 2020), have rendered its shark populations patchy and variable among countries (Ward-Paige et al, 2010;Bakker et al, 2017;MacNeil et al, 2020). As a result, there is a need for exploring and creating large scale MPAs in the region to aid in the conservation of sharks and their movements (Gallagher et al, 2020).…”

Knowledge, Attitude, Practice and Barriers Associated with Influenza Vaccination among Health Care Professionals Working at Tertiary Care Hospitals in Lahore, Pakistan: A Multicenter Analytical Cross-Sectional Study

“…Scores were summed to generate an individual total knowledge score (range 1–45), total attitude score (1–50), and total practice score (1–40) for each respondent. These summed scores were divided by the number of respondents (N = 400) to calculate the mean score for each section (knowledge, attitude, and practice) [ 23 ].…”