Factors Associated with Rabies Prevention Behaviors among Residents of Chonburi Province, Thailand, 2025

Abstract

This cross-sectional analytical study aimed to identify factors associated with rabies preventive behaviors among people who owned dogs and/or cats or had a history of potential exposure to rabies. A total of 130 participants were recruited from four districts in Chon Buri Province, Thailand Bang Lamung, Si Racha, Sattahip, and Ban Bueng which had reported confirmed human rabies deaths during 2021–2025. Participants were consecutively recruited from eligible individuals who met the inclusion criteria and received services at subdistrict health-promoting hospitals in the study areas. Data were collected from April 1 to July 31, 2025, using a structured questionnaire. The mean content validity index was 0.93. The knowledge test demonstrated a KR-20 coefficient of 0.58, while the rating-scale measures showed Cronbach’s alpha coefficients ranging from 0.73 to 0.92. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, the chi-square test, and Pearson’s correlation coefficient. The majority of participants were female (66.2%), and the largest age group was 51–60 years (27.7%). Knowledge (r = 0.278), attitudes (r = 0.506), access to rabies vaccination (r = 0.389), and local government organization efforts in rabies prevention and control (r = 0.382) were positively and significantly correlated with rabies preventive behaviors (p < 0.05). In contrast, sex, age, income, educational level, occupation, and duration of animal ownership were not significantly associated with preventive behaviors. These findings highlight the importance of strengthening rabies-related knowledge and fostering positive attitudes, improving access to rabies vaccination services, and enhancing the implementation of rabies prevention and control measures by local government organizations. An integrated approach involving communities, health services, and local authorities, consistent with the One Health approach, may contribute to strengthening rabies prevention and control and support Thailand’s efforts toward the global goal of Zero by 30.