| An educational intervention based on Health Belief Model for encouraging traditional ranchers to control hard ticks harboring Anaplasma in livestock of Azarshahr city |
| Paper ID : 1057-IPCA4 (R5) |
| Authors |
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reza farhangi *1, Mohammad Saaid Dayer2, Maryam Kamali2 1Department of Parasitology and Medical Entomology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, tehran, iran 2Department of Parasitology and Medical Entomology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran |
| Abstract |
| Hard ticks are ectoparasites of high medical and veterinary importance in most parts of the world due to transmission of zoonotic diseases. Training of herders, especially traditional ranchers in rural areas, will be one of the important strategies for controlling and preventing infection of livestock with hard ticks and the common diseases they transmit to livestock and humans. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the effect of educational intervention based on the Health Belief Model (HBM) to encourage preventive measures by rural herders to reduce hard ticks infection in livestock and emanating Anaplasma transmission to hosts. This study was a before-and-after study using quasi-experimental design. The study population was traditional ranchers in the village (shepherds, people who are responsible for keeping livestock or dealing with livestock in some way). In this study, the sample size of 45 people from 15 villages was considered randomly. The data collection tool was a questionnaire developed by the researchers containing demographic characteristics and constructs of the Health Belief Model, which was used upon confirming its validity and reliability. The questionnaire was completed before and again two month after the educational intervention. Data were analyzed using t-test and Chi-square through SPSS 26 software. The participants in the study aged on average 34.3 ± 7.9 years. Upon educational intervention, the obtained results predicted significant increase (P ˂ 0.05) in Health Belief Model constructs. The scores of constructs were (21.4 ± 2.6) for awareness, (16.55 ± 1.15) for perceived sensitivity (31.3 ± 3.55) for behavior. This study showed that educational intervention can affect the knowledge, attitudes and behaviors of livestock keepers in traditional ranches towards the necessity of hard ticks control and prevention of the bacterium Anaplasma spp transmitted by these ectoparasites. Therefore, this study can serve as a model for designing and implementing educational interventions to encourage preventive behaviors of livestock holders to control zoonotic diseases transmitted by hard ticks. |
| Keywords |
| Keywords: Educational intervention, Azarshahr, Anaplasmosis, Hard ticks, zoonotic diseases. Health Belief Model |
| Status: Abstract Accepted (Oral Presentation) |