Avian Flu Baseline Survey: Backyard Poultry Farmers Of Vietnam

The Academy for Educational Development (AED), on behalf of USAID, intends to conduct behaviour change communication activities on avian influenza (avian flu or bird flu) in Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. The main group that the campaign is being designed for are rural backyard poultry farmers. To plan and assess the communication activities, AED will conduct three successive surveys. A PowerPoint presentation was created to share the findings of the survey conducted in Vietnam.

The survey in Vietnam aimed to:

• constitute a KAP (knowledge/ attitudes/ practices) baseline of the rural backyard poultry farmers on prevention and containment of avian influenza (AI) - a set of research tools and parameters which can be repeatedly applied in order to monitor trends; and
• provide insights into Vietnamese farmers’ culture, and derive strategies capable of influencing behavioural and cultural patterns in order to contain the spread of AI in the country.

The survey included face-to-face interviews using a structured questionnaire with rural backyard poultry farmers in two provinces during December 2005.

Findings:

• Media - amongst all media options available, television is the favoured medium. Radio listenership is higher in Tien Giang than in Bac Ninh while Bac Ninh farmers spend more time on television.
• Reasons for not keeping poultry caged all the time - a major common rationale is to let the poultry (especially ducks) find their own feed due to rearer's financial inability to buy food. The presentation suggests that this should be addressed in a campaign to reduce the potential of AI spread.
• Personal precautions - only half of respondents wash their hands everytime after handling poultry while around one-fourth never change clothes. 95% of those who don't wash their hands and 90% who don't change clothes regularly say such practices are 'not important' or 'not necessary.' According to the report this behaviour will definitely be a potential campaign target.
• AI awareness - Bac Ninh residents are a little more aware than Tien Giang residents
  of the risks of contagion from poultry (95%), from environment (52%) and from virus brought in by people (27%)
• Source of AI info - in most cases, television has played a major source in making farmers aware of AI. All other sources have contributed little. However, focus group discussions conducted at an earlier time confirmed that leaflets / brochures provided access to very detailed info and were useful.
• Awareness of AI & its symptoms in poultry - majority of households in both locations lack knowledge in recognising AI symptoms. Most symptoms noted (with the possible exception of massive sudden deaths) are not AI-specific. Awareness of AI danger to humans is nearly universal in both outbreak and non-outbreak areas.
• Reporting an AI outbreak - though unaware of the symptoms, there is a strong willingness to report an outbreak to animal health workers.
• Things done/ doable to protect poultry from AI - changing clothes, restricting entries to the farm and separating newly bought poultry from the old ones are some measures that are not currently practicised but are claimed to have a 'can do' attitude. Vaccinating poultry against AI followed by taking protection measures (i.e. providing a protected environment, separating chickens from ducks or washing hands) are the most common practices followed currently.
• Past actions with AI infected poultry - the general behaviour concentrates on reporting to vet / local authority. Nearly one-fifth interviewees, however, did nothing.

To request the full PowerPoint presentation of this Topline report, please contact AED, details below.