Abstract
Background: Despite ongoing national efforts to eliminate rabies, the Philippines continues to experience high animal bite incidence and human rabies deaths. Local governments face challenges compounded by limited understanding of pet owners’ beliefs and behaviors. This study aimed to determine how pet owners’ knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) toward animal bites and rabies prevention and control in Alaminos, Laguna are influenced by the Health Belief Model. Methodology: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 402 randomly selected pet-owning households using an HBM-based questionnaire. KAP scores were analyzed using descriptive statistics and non-parametric tests. Results: There were significant positive correlations between knowledge versus attitudes (ρ=0.385, p<0.001), and between attitudes versus practices (ρ=0.372, p<0.001), but the correlation between knowledge versus practices was positive but weak despite being statistically significant (ρ=0.157, p=0.002). Dog owners who acquired pets from breeders had higher rates of vaccination and registration. Age, employment status, information source, and exposure history significantly influenced KAP, while education and sex did not show consistent patterns. Conclusion: Pet owners’ knowledge of animal bites and rabies does not consistently lead to safe practices. Strategies that will focus on improving attitudes, addressing behavioral barriers, and engaging communities through practical, trust-building approaches will be more effective than knowledge alone in strengthening rabies prevention and control.
Keywords
Animal bites, Rabies, KAP survey, Health Belief Model