Assessing and improving Illinois swine producers’ and veterinarians’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward biosecurity by using online surveys and an educational website

Effective biosecurity methods are vital for swine farms and serve as barriers against disease introduction and transmission, safeguarding swine health and the sustainability of the farm economy. On-farm biosecurity measures allow farmers to respond effectively to disease outbreaks. Additionally, robust biosecurity practices ensure food safety and promote public health by minimizing the risk of disease transmission to consumers. Swine producers and veterinarians are key players in promoting biosecurity within the swine industry. Understanding factors influencing their decision to adopt biosecurity practices is important. Assessing swine producers' and veterinarians' current biosecurity practices could highlight gaps between their perceptions and practices, guiding the development of educational programs to bridge these gaps. In the first study of this thesis, a scoping literature review was conducted to identify the distribution and methodology employed by previous research studies that assessed biosecurity knowledge, attitudes, and practices of swine producers within the US and worldwide. The second study used a survey to assess the perception and knowledge of Illinois swine producers and veterinarians regarding foreign animal disease risk and preparedness and their attitude toward the adoption, feasibility, and importance of biosecurity measures in disease prevention. The survey results indicated that although some swine producers had biosecurity awareness, there was a need for a biosecurity-related outreach program. Based on the identified knowledge gaps, an educational website was developed for swine producers and veterinarians, featuring interactive quizzes and downloadable educational resources. The third study assessed the knowledge of Illinois veterinarians in disease reporting and their disease prevention practices. The study found that veterinarians with biosecurity training and those working with large animals had better disease-reporting knowledge compared to companion animal veterinarians. Furthermore, the study identified a disconnect between disease risk perception and biosecurity practices, warranting effective education programs to address this gap. The fourth study conducted a comprehensive analysis of 18 months of web analytics data from the educational website developed by our team for swine producers and veterinarians. The study assessed the website's outreach and education effectiveness by tracking user demographics, engagement, and interaction data using the Google Analytics software. The website’s engagement (total events and duration) was higher for users accessing the website via a direct link on their desktop computers compared to mobile phones and tablets. Also, higher user engagement was observed in leading swine-production states such as Illinois, Iowa, and Missouri. This thesis used a comprehensive approach to evaluate and enhance the biosecurity preparedness, knowledge, and attitudes of Illinois swine producers and veterinarians by using web-based surveys and educational tools. Combining online surveys with an educational website to assess and enhance biosecurity knowledge and practices is useful and can be applied to improve biosecurity in other livestock farming sectors.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

VMS - Pathobiology

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2024

Author dc:creator

• Agrawal, Isha

Contributors dc:contributor

• Varga, Csaba
• Rowland, Raymond
• Smith, Rebecca Lee
• Hoopsick, Rachel Ann
• Bromfield, Corinne

• Swine Biosecurity
• Swine Producers
• Veterinarians
• Kap Survey
• Google Analytics
• Educational Website
• Scoping Review

Statement dc:rights

• © Copyright 2024 Isha Agrawal

Language dc:language

en, eng

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/125679

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=etdms&identifier=oai%3Awww.ideals.illinois.edu%3A2142%2F125679