Self-reported prevalence of pests in Dutch households and the use of the health belief model to explore householders' intentions to engage in pest control

Attitudes of clients of Dutch pest controllers towards integrated pest management (IPM) and preventive measures in relation to rodent nuisance

BACKGROUND

Rodent management with lethal methods (e.g., rodenticides) comes with downsides for rodent welfare, the environment and non-target species. To reduce chemical use and prevent rodent nuisance, pest controllers in the Netherlands must work according to the principles of integrated pest management (IPM). A condition for the success of IPM is that there is sufficient engagement of all parties involved, including clients of pest controllers. The aim of this study was to gain insight into the attitudes of clients regarding rodent control, IPM and the application of preventive measures. Insight into their attitudes may contribute to a better implementation of IPM and with that to a more sustainable rodent management based on more effective prevention. An online survey among 248 clients of Dutch pest controllers from both the agricultural and other sectors was carried out.

RESULTS

Respondents from the agricultural sector had a relatively negative attitude towards IPM, the new IPM regulations in the Netherlands and had little confidence in prevention. In other sectors, respondents were more positive about IPM and had more confidence in prevention. The respondents from the latter subgroup had a similar attitude compared to Dutch pest controllers who participated in a previous survey.

CONCLUSION

The findings of the study provide information for the further development and practical implementation of IPM and preventive measures and with that a more sustainable and animal friendly rodent management. They can also be helpful for a better communication and cooperation between pest controllers and their clients. © 2024 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Chinese Residents' Healthy Eating Intentions and Behaviors: Based on an Extended Health Belief Model

Unhealthy eating is one cause of obesity and some chronic non-communicable diseases. This study introduces self-efficacy and health consciousness to construct an extended health belief model (HBM) to examine the factors influencing healthy eating intentions and behaviors of Chinese residents and explore the moderating effect of perceived barriers and the mediating effect of healthy eating intentions. Through the survey platform “Questionnaire Star”, this study collected quantitative data from 1281 adults, and partial least squares structural equation modeling was used for confirmatory factor analysis, path analysis, importance-performance map analysis, and multi-group analysis. Results showed that perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefits, self-efficacy, and health consciousness had a significant positive effect on residents’ healthy eating intentions. Perceived barriers had a significant negative effect on residents’ healthy eating intentions. Healthy eating intentions had a significant positive effect on healthy eating behaviors. Perceived barriers played a significant negative moderating effect between healthy eating intentions and behaviors. Healthy eating intentions had a positive and significant mediating effect. The multi-group analysis showed that extended HBM has relative generalization ability. The extended HBM has good explanatory and predictive power for healthy diet and provides a new framework for understanding the influencing factors of individuals’ healthy eating intentions and behaviors.

Evolution of Select Epidemiological Modeling and the Rise of Population Sentiment Analysis: A Literature Review and COVID-19 Sentiment Illustration

With social networking enabling the expressions of billions of people to be posted online, sentiment analysis and massive computational power enables systematic mining of information about populations including their affective states with respect to epidemiological concerns during a pandemic. Gleaning rationale for behavioral choices, such as vaccine hesitancy, from public commentary expressed through social media channels may provide quantifiable and articulated sources of feedback that are useful for rapidly modifying or refining pandemic spread predictions, health protocols, vaccination offerings, and policy approaches. Additional potential gains of sentiment analysis may include lessening of vaccine hesitancy, reduction in civil disobedience, and most importantly, better healthcare outcomes for individuals and their communities. In this article, we highlight the evolution of select epidemiological models; conduct a critical review of models in terms of the level and depth of modeling of social media, social network factors, and sentiment analysis; and finally, partially illustrate sentiment analysis using COVID-19 Twitter data.

What Do They Know? Comparing Public Knowledge and Opinions about Rodent Management to the Expectations of Pest Controllers

Integrated pest management (IPM) involves the control of pests, such as rodents, based on preventive measures and reduced use of chemical control. In view of the number of reported rodent infestations, it appears unlikely that the public has much knowledge about rodents. The objectives of this study were (i) to assess the knowledge and opinions of the public regarding prevention and control of rodent nuisance, and (ii) to assess whether pest controllers have an accurate idea of the knowledge and opinions of the public. The sample contained a total of 314 members of the public and 86 people working in the pest control sector. Responding members of the general public were asked about their knowledge and opinions about IPM in a questionnaire, whereas people working in the pest control sector were asked if they thought the general public had this knowledge and/or opinions. The results show that members of the public have a reasonable level of knowledge regarding preventive measures against rodents, which are part of IPM. People working in the pest control sector underestimate the public's knowledge of preventive measures, such as perimeter exclusion and hygiene measures. Such underestimation may affect their communication with (potential) clients.

Understanding the Health Behavior Decision-Making Process with Situational Theory of Problem Solving in Online Health Communities: The Effects of Health Beliefs, Message Credibility, and Communication Behaviors on Health Behavioral Intention

Online health communities (OHCs) offer users the opportunity to share and seek health information through these platforms, which in turn influence users' health decisions. Understanding what factors influence people's health decision-making process is essential for not only the design of the OHC, but also for commercial health business who are promoting their products to patients. Previous studies explored the health decision-making process from many factors, but lacked a comprehensive model with a theoretical model. The aim of this paper is to propose a research model from the situational theory of problem solving in relation to forecasting health behaviors in OHCs. An online questionnaire was developed to collect data from 321 members of online health communities (HPV Tieba and HPV vaccina Tieba) who have not received an HPV vaccination. The partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) method was employed for the data analysis. Findings showed that information selection and acquisition is able to forecast HPV vaccination intentions, perceived seriousness and perceived susceptibility can directly impact HPV vaccination intention and have an indirect impact by information selection and acquisition, and perceived message credibility indirectly affected HPV vaccination intention via information selection. The current paper supports health motivations analysis in OHCs, with potential to assist users' health-related decision-making.

Health information, attitudes and actions at religious venues: Evidence from hajj pilgrims

Mass gatherings for sporting events, music shows, and religious needs continue to grow in our urban areas, requiring local authorities to develop safety procedures to mitigate the challenges of keeping the attendees safe. These challenges are even more pronounced at pilgrimage venues where social distancing and contact avoidance are difficult as pilgrims are required to perform various rituals in close proximity with others, in a sequential manner, either daily or weekly, as per their religious tenets. Over two million pilgrims attend the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia annually. Keeping the local and visiting pilgrims safe from crowd crush, sunstroke, skin infections, recurrence of prior medical issues, and contagious diseases requires the Saudi government to allocate huge investments for health communication and prevention programs every year. However, there is no evidence to date that has empirically tested whether Hajj pilgrims' are able to receive such information and are subsequently adopting various health promoting behaviors. This study aims to do that by framing it within the Health Belief Model. Data collected and analyzed from 245 pilgrims in Makkah between September 9th-19th, 2017 suggests that roughly 48% of the pilgrims adopted all five protective measures. However, language barriers, limited health care facilities, and difficulties in purchasing prescription mediciens were cited as impediments to adopting healthy measures. The study concludes with recommendations for the KSA government agencies, Hajj authorities, Mission authorities and pilgrims, during various phases of travel-- i.e. pre-travel, during the pilgrimage and post-travel, in light of new emerging health threats.

Effect of Income Level and Perception of Susceptibility and Severity of COVID-19 on Stay-at-Home Preventive Behavior in a Group of Older Adults in Mexico City

Early information on public health behaviors adopted to prevent the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) may be useful in controlling the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission. The objective of this study was to assess the role of income level (IL) and the perception of older adults, regarding COVID-19 susceptibility and severity, on adopting stay-at-home preventive behavior during the first week of the outbreak in Mexico. Participants in this cross-sectional study were urban community dwellers, aged ≥ 65 years from Mexico City. A total of 380 interviews were conducted over the phone. The mean respondent age was 72.9 years, and 76.1% were women. Over half (54.2%) of the participants perceived their susceptibility to COVID-19 as very low or low. Similarly, 33.4% perceived COVID-19 severity as being very low or low, and 57.6% had decided to stay at home: this behavior was associated with IL (β = 1.05, p < 0.001), and its total effect was partially mediated (15.1%) by perceived severity. Educational attainment was also associated with staying at home (β = 0.10, p = 0.018) and its total effect was partially mediated (15.0%) by perceived susceptibility. Interventions aimed at low income and less educated older adults should be developed to improve preventive behaviors in this vulnerable group during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Airborne Rodent Allergen Levels in Dutch Households: A Pilot Study

Little research has been conducted in Europe regarding indoor exposure to airborne rodent allergens. The aims of this study were to gain insight into the prevalence of rodent allergens in airborne dust in Dutch households, to assess whether there is a relationship between rodent sightings and detectable allergens, and to identify risk factors associated with the presence of rodent allergens. Airborne dust was collected from the living rooms of 80 households distributed around central Netherlands by passive sampling using electrostatic dust collectors (EDCs). Samples were analysed for mouse (Mus m 1) and rat (Rat n 1) allergens. Participants completed a questionnaire on household and building characteristics, household pets, cleaning habits and ventilation. Mouse allergen was more prevalent than rat allergen and mouse sightings within the past year more than doubled the odds of detectable mouse allergen. Proximity to green areas, ventilation through an open window and insulation under the living room floor were determinants for detectable mouse allergen. Conversely, proximity to surface water was protective. No significant association was found between asthma and detectable mouse allergen. The passive EDC sampling method was used successfully to detect mouse and rat allergens in homes. The presence of mouse allergen was associated with previous mouse sightings. Risk factors and protective factors associated with the presence and levels of mouse allergen were identified.

Wild mice in and around the city of Utrecht, the Netherlands, are carriers of Clostridium difficile but not ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae, Salmonella spp. or MRSA

Mice in buildings are a hygiene hazard because they harbour several zoonoses and animal diseases. The aim of this study was to gather information on specific bacteria in house mice caught in the urban environment. Mice caught in snap traps during pest control activities were collected in and around the city of Utrecht, the Netherlands, during May-June 2014, October-November 2015 and September-November 2016. The gut contents were analysed for ESBL/AmpC-producing Enterobacteriaceae, Salmonella spp., and Clostridium difficile and the buccal cavities were swabbed for methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA). In total, 109 house mice (Mus musculus) and 22 wood mice (Apodemus sylvaticus) were examined. One mouse was found positive for Enterobacter spp. Salmonella spp. and MRSA were not found. Of n = 80 mice, 35·0% carried C. difficile (ribotypes in descending order of frequency: 014/020, 258, 002, 005, 013, 056, 081 and two unknown ribotypes). In conclusion, mouse droppings are a hazard for transmission of C. difficile to humans and their environment.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

This study shows that mice in buildings can carry Clostridium difficile ribotypes that are associated with clinical disease in humans. Whether the mice are the source or whether they picked up these bacteria from the human environment has not been investigated. Either way, mouse droppings in the indoor environment are a hazard for transmission of C. difficile to humans.