Using farmers' attitude and social pressures to design voluntary Bluetongue vaccination strategies

Prev Vet Med. 2016 Oct 1:133:114-119. doi: 10.1016/j.prevetmed.2016.09.016. Epub 2016 Sep 15.

Abstract

Understanding the context and drivers of farmers' decision-making is critical to designing successful voluntary disease control interventions. This study uses a questionnaire based on the Reasoned Action Approach framework to assess the determinants of farmers' intention to participate in a hypothetical reactive vaccination scheme against Bluetongue. Results suggest that farmers' attitude and social pressures best explained intention. A mix of policy instruments can be used in a complementary way to motivate voluntary vaccination based on the finding that participation is influenced by both internal and external motivation. Next to informational and incentive-based instruments, social pressures, which stem from different type of perceived norms, can spur farmers' vaccination behaviour and serve as catalysts in voluntary vaccination schemes.

Keywords: Attitude; Bluetongue; Decision-making; Disease control; Farmers; Policy instruments; Social pressures; Voluntary vaccination.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Attitude*
  • Bluetongue / prevention & control*
  • Bluetongue / psychology
  • Cattle
  • Cattle Diseases / prevention & control*
  • Cattle Diseases / psychology
  • Decision Making
  • Farmers / psychology*
  • Humans
  • Intention
  • Interpersonal Relations*
  • Vaccination / psychology
  • Vaccination / veterinary*