A cross-sectional survey of avian influenza knowledge among poultry farmworkers in Indonesia

• DOI: 10.7717/peerj.14600
• Publication Date: 2023-01-16T10:16:50Z
• Authors: Saifur Rehman; Aamir Shehzad; Lisa Dyah Andriyani; Mustofa Helmi Eff...; Zain Ul Abadeen; Muhammad Ilyas Khan; Muhammad Bilal
• Keywords: Male; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Epidemiology; Veterinary medicine; Social Sciences; Influenza A virus subtype H5N1; Avian influenza; FOS: Health sciences; Poultry; Engineering; 0302 clinical medicine; Sociology; Pathology; Psychology; Biology (General); Knowledge level; 2. Zero hunger; Public health; Farmers; R; Social science; 3. Good health; FOS: Sociology; Virus; FOS: Psychology; Knowledge; Environmental health; Health; Medicine; Female; Vaccination Intention; Family medicine; QH301-705.5; Immunology; Nursing; 03 medical and health sciences; Health Sciences; Animals; Humans; Agricultural Science; Cross-sectional study; Farmworkers; Questionnaire; FOS: Clinical medicine; Transmission (telecommunications); Mathematics education; Cross-Sectional Studies; Indonesia; Influenza in Birds; Electrical engineering; Factors Affecting Vaccine Hesitancy and Acceptance; Influenza Virus Research and Epidemiology

Background Avian influenza (AI) poses a serious threat to global public health, especially the highly pathogenic form. Awareness and protective behavior among the public, particularly the high-risk populations, are essential for prevention and control. This study aimed to ascertain the level of AI knowledge among Indonesia’s poultry farmworkers.

Methods This was a cross-sectional study conducted online. A predesigned standardized questionnaire, containing six demographic questions and 14 questions on AI knowledge, was used. The questionnaire was distributed via WhatsApp and email platforms. Volunteers (respondents) included 119 men and 81 women, aged 18–50 years, who work on poultry farms in Indonesia. Data were analyzed using the chi-squared and Fisher exact tests.

Results The study’s findings revealed that more than two-thirds (67.0%) of the respondents had heard about AI. Their primary sources of information were health workers (36.0%) and media, especially television (34.0%). The majority of the participants (91.3%) had good knowledge about AI as a contagious infection, transmissible from birds to other birds, animals, or humans. A total of 76.8% of the respondents believed that poultry workers and veterinarians were at high risk of contracting AI infection.

Conclusions The study concluded that poultry workers had good knowledge about AI infection, transmission, and risk variables. Health workers and television were the main sources of information on AI. The level of AI knowledge was high among the respondents.