A Comparative Analysis of Risk Perception and Coping Behaviors among Chinese Poultry Farmers Regarding Human and Poultry Infection with Avian Influenza

Bin Cui, Feifei Wang, Linda Dong-Ling Wang, Chengyun Pan, Jun Ke and Yi Tian
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Bin Cui: Business College of Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225001, Jiangsu Province, China
Feifei Wang: Business College of Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225001, Jiangsu Province, China
Linda Dong-Ling Wang: Institute of Translational Medicine, Medical College, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225001, Jiangsu Province, China
Chengyun Pan: Business College of Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225001, Jiangsu Province, China
Jun Ke: Business College of Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225001, Jiangsu Province, China
Yi Tian: Business College of Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225001, Jiangsu Province, China

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 20, 1-13

Abstract: Poultry farmers face a dual risk when mutant avian influenza (AI) virus exhibits zoonotic characteristics. A/H5N1 and A/H7N9 are two principal strains of the AI virus that have captured public attention in recent years, as they have both been reported and can infect poultry and humans, respectively. Previous studies have focused either on poultry farmers’ risk perception and biosecurity preventive behaviors (BPBs) against A/H5N1 infection with poultry, or on their risk perception and personal protective behaviors (PPBs) against human infection with A/H7N9, even though these two strains often appear simultaneously. To bridge this research gap, a survey ( N = 426) was conducted in the Chinese provinces of Jiangsu and Anhui to assess risk perception and coping behaviors adopted by poultry farmers facing the dual risk of these two viral strains. Paired sample t -tests revealed that farmers’ perceived risk of poultry infection with A/H5N1 was significantly higher than their perceived risk of human infection with A/H7N9, and that their reported frequency of BPBs against A/H5N1 was significantly higher than the frequency of PPBs against A/H7N9. Moreover, farmers were less familiar with AI infection in human beings compared to that in poultry, but they felt a higher sense of control regarding human AI infection. Multivariate regression analyses showed that farm size and perceived risks of both human and poultry infection with AI were positively associated with BPBs and PPBs. The findings of this research suggest that a campaign to spread knowledge about human AI infection among poultry farmers is needed, and that a policy incentive to encourage large-scale poultry farming could be effective in improving implementation of BPBs and PPBs.

Keywords: Avian influenza; coping behavior; Chinese poultry farmer; comparative analysis; risk perception (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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