Determinants of highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreak information sources, risk perception and adoption of biosecurity behaviors among poultry farmers in China

Abstract The implementation of biosecurity measures among farmers is the first line of defense against highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) on poultry farms. Yet much less is known about the association between HPAI outbreak information sources, farmers’ risk perception and their adoption of biosecurity behaviors (BBs). To bridge this gap, a survey (n = 426) was conducted to measure the relationship between these factors among poultry farmers in the Chinese provinces of Jiangsu and Anhui. The data reveal that farmers use multiple information sources to obtain information about HPAI outbreaks. Multivariate regression shows that HPAI outbreak information disseminated through business networks is associated with reported adoption of BBs, while farm size and ease of access to a veterinary clinic are associated with both higher risk perception and increased BBs. Moreover, increased BBs are associated with farmers who maintain stable production and sales contractual relationships with poultry product processing and marketing enterprises. The findings of this research will allow authorities to more effectively disseminate HPAI information to poultry farmers through business networks.