A cross-sectional study of horse owners’ awareness and perceived risk of exotic diseases in the United Kingdom

Spence, Kelsey L.; Slater, Josh; Rosanowski, Sarah M.; Cardwell, Jacqueline M.

doi:10.1016/j.prevetmed.2019.104706

Cited by 5 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…Participants in this study were respondents to an online questionnaire regarding horse owners’ awareness and perceived risk of exotic diseases, which took place between April and July 2018 [33]. Individuals who owned or cared for horses, ponies, or donkeys (herein referred to as ‘horses’) were eligible to participate in the study if they were 18 years of age or older, lived in the UK at the time of the questionnaire, and did not participate in horse racing.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Both the questionnaire used in this study, and a detailed description of the quantitative analysis conducted on the closed-ended questionnaire questions, are published elsewhere [33]. Data relevant to this study were collected using two open-ended questions on the questionnaire: 1) “What does the term ‘exotic disease’ mean to you?” and 2) “How do you think your horse’s chance of getting an exotic disease within the next 5 years compares to the ‘average’ horse, and for which reasons?”.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Preliminary insight into horse owners’ perceptions of, and attitudes towards, exotic diseases in the United Kingdom

et al. 2019

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BackgroundThe potential for an exotic disease incursion is a significant concern for the United Kingdom (UK) equine industry. Horse owners’ perceptions of, and attitudes towards, exotic diseases can influence decisions to adopt disease preparedness strategies. The objectives of this study were to describe horse owners’ 1) perceptions of the term ‘exotic disease’, and 2) attitudes towards their risk of being affected by an exotic disease. In order to address these objectives, qualitative content analysis was undertaken on data collected using two open-ended survey questions.ResultsHorse owners (n = 423) perceived exotic diseases as 1) belonging somewhere else, and 2) a dangerous threat to their horse(s). The term ‘exotic’ was associated with being foreign, non-native, and out-of-place in the UK. Attitudes towards exotic disease risk were summarised into four categories: 1) responsible horse owners prevent disease, 2) horse owners need support to stop disease spread, 3) risk depends on proximity to the ‘risky’ horse, and 4) some risk is inevitable. A ‘responsible’ owner was aware of health hazards and took actions to protect their horse from disease. Reliance on others, including stakeholders, to uphold disease prevention in the community led to feeling vulnerable to disease threats. When evaluating risk, horse owners considered which horses were the ‘riskiest’ to their horse’s health (horses that travelled, participated in competitions, or were simply unfamiliar) and avoided situations where they could interact. Despite undertaking disease prevention measures, the perceived uncontrollable nature of exotic diseases led some owners to feel an incursion was inevitable.ConclusionsWithout accounting for horse owners’ perceptions of, and attitudes towards, exotic diseases, recommendations to increase preparedness may be ineffective. Improved communication among stakeholders in the industry may assist in clarifying expectations for exotic disease-specific prevention measures. A collaborative approach among horse owners and stakeholders is recommended to improve disease preparedness within the industry.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Preliminary insight into horse owners’ perceptions of, and attitudes towards, exotic diseases in the United Kingdom

et al. 2019

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“…In most cases, a mixed form of the disease is recorded, which is a combination of the cardiac and pulmonary forms of the disease. This form also has a high mortality rate, approximately 70%, with death usually occurring within (3-6) days after the onset of fever (Spence et al, 2019). The mortality rate among horses can be up to 70-95%, among mules up to 90%, and among donkeys up to 10%.…”

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confidence: 99%

African Horse Sickness Characteristic Features of the Pathogen, Epizootiology, Clinical Signs, Diagnosis, and Monitoring Measures (Review Article)

Chechet,

Kornienko,

Ukhovskyі

et al. 2023

OneHealthJournal

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The paper presents a review of scientific literature about the epizootic situation with the African horse sickness. It gives current information on characteristic features, ways of transmission, and disease processes. The paper outlines the following key avenues of pathogen transmission: by vectors, by wild or domestic host animals transporting, and by sick (infected) animals in the early stages of sickness. The paper gives special attention to clinical signs, course, and pathological changes caused by the disease, and serological and molecular-genetic diagnostic methods. It reviews global experience in the localization and prevention of this disease and gives the reasons for implementing an active system of epidemiological surveillance of horses to find manifestations of the disease which is crucial for transition and spread prevention and early outbreak detection in Ukraine.

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‘I want to be the sort of owner that he wants me to be’: Rationales for biosecurity implementation among British horse owners

Spence,

Rosanowski,

Slater

et al. 2024

Equine Veterinary Journal

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BackgroundHorse owners play a critical role in mitigating the risk of pathogen spread between horses. However, little is known about how they view biosecurity and whether they experience barriers to the uptake of preventive measures.ObjectivesTo explore horse owners' attitudes, perceptions, and experiences of biosecurity and identify how these factors shape horse owners' decisions for biosecurity implementation.Study designQualitative study using semi‐structured interviews.MethodsInterviews were conducted with 23 horse owners across Great Britain. Participants were purposively selected to include those in different geographic regions, with different management arrangements, and varied length of horse ownership experience. Interviews were audio‐recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analysed using a critical realist thematic analysis.ResultsParticipants felt a moral obligation to prioritise their horse's happiness, which became a challenge when certain biosecurity measures (e.g., quarantine) were perceived as compromising their horse's happiness or comfort (Theme 1). A lack of biosecurity was the social norm among shared yards and competition venues (Theme 2), which made it difficult for participants to implement biosecurity measures effectively on their own. Combined with the sense of moral obligation participants felt towards their horse, this meant that participants had to ‘care double’ (i.e., be more vigilant than they would otherwise) to compensate for collective inaction (Theme 3).Main limitationsParticipants may have been more interested in and/or knowledgeable about biosecurity than the general horse owning population.ConclusionsThe findings highlight several challenges that could be addressed to improve biosecurity implementation among horse owners. Efforts to encourage improved uptake of biosecurity measures should focus on communicating how reducing the risk of disease aligns with horse care. Further research on social norms in the horse industry is needed, in addition to identifying strategies to encourage a collective adoption of biosecurity measures.

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A cross-sectional study of horse owners’ awareness and perceived risk of exotic diseases in the United Kingdom

Cited by 5 publications

References 42 publications

Preliminary insight into horse owners’ perceptions of, and attitudes towards, exotic diseases in the United Kingdom

Preliminary insight into horse owners’ perceptions of, and attitudes towards, exotic diseases in the United Kingdom

African Horse Sickness Characteristic Features of the Pathogen, Epizootiology, Clinical Signs, Diagnosis, and Monitoring Measures (Review Article)

‘I want to be the sort of owner that he wants me to be’: Rationales for biosecurity implementation among British horse owners

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