Psychosocial factors influencing the behavior of swine veterinarians during the foot and mouth disease outbreak in Korea

After the Foot and mouth disease outbreak during 2010～2011 in Korea, failure to communicate and collaborate with those involved in the outbreak was criticized by many. The animal disease control process is not limited to the technical field of veterinary medicine but rather is interrelated to the psychosocial factors in the whole community where an epizootic occurs. Getting a holistic view of local problems caused by a disease is the core element of the One Health approach, which considers human, animal and environmental health within one frame and focuses on communication and collaboration among all key players in disease control. From this perspective, veterinarians who routinely assess animal health problems that include human and environmental factors should have a role as health facilitators for the whole process. This survey of seventy one swine veterinarians shows that psychosocial factors such as the One Health awareness, social capital, accessibility to resources, and support from society can influence the behavior of local swine veterinarians. The results suggest that local veterinarians should be actively involved in the decision-making process during an FMD outbreak to overcome the deep-rooted distrust among key players. Therefore, continuing education programs teaching about the One Health principle to livestock veterinarians are strongly needed to reorient their view and their role in epizootic control, which could contribute to more practical and flexible responses during a livestock disease outbreak and to a rapid recovery after the disease.