Horse owners’ biosecurity practices following the first equine influenza outbreak in Australia

Abstract

A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 759 Australian horse owners to determine their biosecurity practices and perceptions one year after the 2007 equine influenza outbreak and to investigate the factors influencing these perceptions and practices. A web link to an online questionnaire was sent to 1224 horse owners as a follow-up to a previous study to obtain information about biosecurity perceptions and practices, impacts of the 2007 EI outbreak, demographic information and information about horse industry involvement. Ordinal logistic regression analyses were conducted to determine factors associated with poor biosecurity practices. Biosecurity compliance (low, medium, high), as determined by horse owners' responses to a 16-item question on the frequency of various biosecurity measures, was used as the outcome variable in ordinal logistic regression analyses. Variables with a univariable p-value ≤0.2 were eligible for inclusion in multivariable models built using a manual stepwise approach. Variables with a p-value <0.05 in multivariable models were retained in the final model. Two potential confounders -age and gender of participants-were included in the final model irrespective of their p-values.Thirty percent of the respondents had low biosecurity compliance and were performing biosecurity practices 'not very often' or 'never'. Younger people, people with two or more children, those who were not involved with horses commercially and those who had no long-term business impacts resulting from the 2007 EI outbreak were more likely to have lower biosecurity compliance. People 2 who were not fearful of a future outbreak of equine influenza in Australia and those who thought their current hygiene and access control practices were not very effective in protecting their horses also had poor biosecurity practices.In this observational study we identified factors associated with a group of horse owners with low levels of biosecurity compliance. As this cross-sectional study only assesses associations, the identified factors should be further investigated in order to be considered in the design of extension activities to increase horse owners' biosecurity compliance.Keywords: Biosecurity; Equine; Owner perceptions; Ordinal logistic regression. 1.Introduction:In late August 2007, Australia experienced its first ever outbreak of equine influenza (EI), a highly contagious respiratory disease affecting all members of the equidae family. The outbreak followed the importation of infected horses from Japan and subsequent escape of the virus from the Eastern Creek quarantine facility in Sydney, New South Wales (NSW) (Callinan, 2008). The virus spread through major parts of the state of NSW and into south eastern Queensland during the course of the outbreak. The outbreak lasted for four months from the initial confirmation of the virus in the general population on 24th August 2007 until the last case was detected in Queensland on 25th December 2007. In order to control, contain and eradicate the disease, the ...

Survey ofAustralian equine veterinarians evaluating their biosecurity training and perceptions and opinions about the management of the 2007 equine influenza outbreak

“…This suggestion is consistent with cognitive behaviour theories such as the Protection Motivation Theory, which outlines that a person's perceptions of a behaviour's practicality and effectiveness are linked to their motivation and compliance with the behaviour. 21,22 Consistently, a previous study linked horse owner's perceptions of biosecurity effectiveness to compliance with recommended measures following the 2007 equine influenza outbreak 19 and in the current study we found that those reporting hand-washing/ glove wearing to be ineffective and biosecurity to be not practical, also considered it somewhat likely that they themselves spread infectious disease from one client's horse to another. It is evident that greater emphasis needs to be placed on the practical aspects of implementing biosecurity measures and how to overcome deterrents in future biosecurity training for students and practicing equine veterinarians.…”

“…The findings of this study are supported by a previous study with Australian veterinarians, which also suggested the need for more practical biosecurity training as it found little uptake of appropriate personal protective equipment use in practice. 11 Younger veterinarians may have lower levels of biosecurity compliance similar to younger horse owners 19 . Implementing biosecurity measures might be perceived as a greater inconvenience by younger veterinarians due to the associated costs in terms of time and effort, making it less practical for them to perform than for older veterinarians.…”

Psychological influences on biosecurity control and farmer decision-making. A review

“…Past research on attitudes and perceptions specific to the biosecurity domain has predominantly been conducted in the animal industry, examining issues such as foot and mouth disease, equine influenza and other diseases found in commercial animal production (Buetre et al 2013;Hoe and Ruegg 2006;Schemann et al 2011). Results have typically demonstrated that farmers perceive the level of investment required to implement biosecurity practices on-farm as costly, in terms of both financial cost and effort.…”

“…While much of the empirical psychology literature on behavioural adherence comes from the health and sport/exercise psychology domains, adherence is a key concept in the study of biosecurity engagement. Schemann et al (2011) examined the concept of adherence in an evaluation of biosecurity compliance amongst horse owners 1 year after the 2007 EI outbreak, when biosecurity compliance was presumably at its peak. Results showed that 50 % reported high biosecurity compliance 1 year post-EI, and 30 % reported low compliance.…”

Explanation and Elaboration Document for the STROBE‐Vet Statement: Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology—Veterinary Extension

“…Biologically important two‐way interactions of the explanatory variables in the final model were examined and retained if significant ( P < .05).75 …”