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Methods: In 2009, an anonymous, cross-sectional survey was administered to 360 live poultry workers in Hong Kong. The poultry worker’s H5N1-related knowledge, attitudes towards preventive measures, current poultry handling practices and H5n1 outbreak preparedness were examined.
Results: Of respondents, >50% believed that the disease is rarely fatal and nearly 90% believed that the virus could not be transported on inanimate objects. Poultry workers also demonstrated very low perceptions of H5N1 susceptibility with 48.4% of the respondents believing themselves to have immunity to H5N1 and only 13.9% believing that poultry workers were susceptible to H5N1. Only 27.4% were inclined to take Tamiflu in the event of a local human H5N1 outbreak. Even after adjusting for socio-demographic factors, those who obtained H5N1 information from the internet and ancillary sources such as health talks demonstrated substantially higher knowledge. Greater perceived barriers, shorter duration in the industry and being a wholesale worker was significantly associated with lower levels of preventive behaviors. Inaccessibility of training and interference of preventive practices with work were cited as the main barriers to greater compliance with these preventive measures. Low perceived benefits of infection control measures was the main predictor of low levels of H5N1 preparedness.
Conclusions: Live poultry workers exhibited noteworthy H5N1-related knowledge gaps indicating the need for health education targeted to their occupational setting. There is a strong need to address the pervasive H5N1 misperceptions in order to facilitate the greater adoption of preventive behaviors and foster preparedness.
Learning Objectives: Assess the Knowledge, Attitudes, Practices and H5N1 Avian Influenza Preparedness of Poultry Workers in Hong Kong