AI.COMM - Avian and Pandemic Influenza Resource Link

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Because it was so diffi cult to increase personal risk perception for avian infl uenza,
AI.COMM relied on using other “entry points” for information that were identifi ed
through research. Research examined how communities viewed disease causation,
and ascertained the complex uses of chickens and whether communities believed
that there were alternatives to their use. This included considering livelihood issues
such as whether poultry are the main source of income, and how that income is
used (e.g., used for education and health expenses) as well as social roles of poultry,
including rituals and religious or social occasions (e.g., weddings, funerals). In the
case of subsistence farmers, poultry is used as the main source of protein in the
family’s diet, and its absence, therefore, could have a large impact on the family’s
nutritional status. These ties to poultry – from a
livelihood to a cultural perspective – were more
deep-seated than previously realized, and presented
a challenge for changing behaviors related to
raising poultry.