title: Distribution of cow-calf producers' beliefs about reporting cattle with clinical signs of foot-and-mouth disease to a veterinarian before or during a hypothetical outbreak.
abstract: Understanding the prevalence of cattle producers' beliefs regarding disease reporting can help officials improve surveillance programs with passive data collection. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Texas in 2008 and 2009 to determine beliefs about reporting cattle with clinical signs consistent with foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) either prior to (scenario 1) or during an on-going outbreak of FMD (scenario 2). Two questionnaires were developed and distributed to Texas cow-calf producers in order to evaluate their behavioral, control, and normative beliefs related to disease reporting. The context for each behavior was provided through the use of scenarios, and belief strength was measured using a 7-point Likert-like scale. Beliefs were compared across scenarios and demographic categories, and the effect of scenario on belief examined using ordinal logistic regression. Respondents agreed that reporting clinically suspect cases would have positive economic and emotional consequences; however, when an outbreak was known to be present, producers were less likely to agree with many of the positive outcomes of reporting. Important barriers to disease reporting indicated by producers included a lack of knowledge related to clinical signs of highly contagious cattle diseases and which cattle are at risk of contracting FMD. In general, beliefs about barriers to reporting did not differ based on scenario. Veterinarians and regulatory authorities were the groups perceived to most strongly expect disease reporting, regardless of the scenario. Risk education for producers related to clinical signs of reportable livestock diseases, post-reporting procedures, and an understanding of FMD introduction and spread may improve the reporting of cattle with clinical signs consistent with FMD.
authors.affiliation: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Veterinary Services, Centers for Epidemiology and Animal Health, Fort Collins, CO, USA. Electronic address: amy.h.delgado@aphis.usda.gov.
authors.forename: Amy H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Delgado
authors.affiliation: Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Norby
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA.
authors.forename: H Morgan
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Scott
authors.affiliation: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service, Alexandria, VA, USA.
authors.forename: Wesley
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Dean
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology, College of Liberal Arts, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA.
authors.forename: W Alex
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: McIntosh
authors.affiliation: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Veterinary Services, Centers for Epidemiology and Animal Health, Fort Collins, CO, USA.
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bush
mesh_terms: D000822:Animal Husbandry / Q000379:methods*; D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology; D003140:Communicable Disease Control; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000662:veterinary*; D005536:Foot-and-Mouth Disease / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D015995:Prevalence; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013781:Texas / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: Beliefs; Cattle; Disease reporting; Foot-and-mouth disease; Foreign animal disease control; Surveillance; Theory of planned behavior