A Multi-Site Study on Knowledge, Attitudes, Beliefs and Practice of Child-Dog Interactions in Rural China

Jiabin Shen,Huiyun Xiang,David Schwebel,Shaohua Li,Guozhang Xu,Shulan Pang

doi:10.3390/ijerph10030950

Abstract

This study examines demographic, cognitive and behavioral factors that predict pediatric dog-bite injury risk in rural China. A total of 1,537 children (grades 4–6) in rural regions of Anhui, Hebei and Zhejiang Provinces, China completed self-report questionnaires assessing beliefs about and behaviors with dogs. The results showed that almost 30% of children reported a history of dog bites. Children answered 56% of dog-safety knowledge items correctly. Regressions revealed both demographic and cognitive/behavioral factors predicted children’s risky interactions with dogs and dog-bite history. Boys behaved more riskily with dogs and were more frequently bitten. Older children reported greater risks with dogs and more bites. With demographics controlled, attitudes/beliefs of invulnerability, exposure frequency, and dog ownership predicted children’s self-reported risky practice with dogs. Attitudes/beliefs of invulnerability, dog exposure, and dog ownership predicted dog bites. In conclusion, both demographic and cognitive/behavioral factors influenced rural Chinese children’s dog-bite injury risk. Theory-based, empirically-supported intervention programs might reduce dog-bite injuries in rural China.

Highlights

Dog-bite injury is one of the most common unintentional injuries to children worldwide, both in developed [1,2,3] and developing countries [4,5,6]
When children experience dog bites, they are more likely to be seriously injured than adults, as indicated by findings in Hong Kong and elsewhere that dogs tend to attack the childrens’ head and neck while adults are injured more frequently on their arms and legs [11,12,15,16,17]
As children grew older and approached adolescence, they tended to report riskier attitudes, beliefs about invulnerability to risk with dogs, and self-reported riskier behaviors with dogs, despite the fact that they had similar levels of safety knowledge as the younger counterparts

Summary

Introduction

Dog-bite injury is one of the most common unintentional injuries to children worldwide, both in developed [1,2,3] and developing countries [4,5,6]. Gender, and environmental exposure (e.g., dog ownership in the family) are among the most-cited risk factors for dog-bite injuries across cultures [7,8,9], with male children under the age of 14 years with dogs in the home the most common victims of dog-bite injuries globally [6,7,10,11]. Rural children are at greater risk of animal-related injuries (including dog-bite injuries) than urban children due to the higher rates of dog ownership and exposure in rural areas [12,13]. Pilot epidemiology suggests animal bites are the third-leading cause of agricultural injuries among rural Chinese, with high rates for rural children [13,14], but no published data focus on dog-bite risk in China. When children experience dog bites, they are more likely to be seriously injured than adults, as indicated by findings in Hong Kong and elsewhere that dogs tend to attack the childrens’ head and neck while adults are injured more frequently on their arms and legs [11,12,15,16,17]

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion