Socioecological determinants of dog ownership in Mara region, Tanzania

IF 2.8 2区农林科学 Q1 VETERINARY SCIENCES

Preventive veterinary medicine Pub Date : 2026-02-01 Epub Date: 2025-11-27 DOI:10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106756

Danni Anderson , Maganga Sambo , Ahmed Lugelo , Anna Czupryna , Joel Changalucha , Jonathan M. Read , Felix Lankester , Katie Hampson

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Abstract

Understanding domestic dog population dynamics is critical for rabies control, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa where domestic dogs are the primary virus reservoir. This study investigates demographic and environmental determinants of dog ownership in Tanzania’s Mara region, a rabies-endemic area with ecologically diverse landscapes. Using a cross-sectional household survey (n = 27,400 households), we employed mixed-effects models to assess predictors of dog ownership, dog counts, and Human-to-Dog Ratios (HDRs). Overall, 12,975 households (47 %) owned dogs, with a mean of 2.2 dogs per dog-owning household. Logistic regression revealed key predictors of ownership: urban households had reduced odds of dog ownership (OR = 0.311, CI: 0.132–0.734, while ownership likelihood increased with larger household size (adults: OR = 1.151, CI: 1.134–1.169; children: OR = 1.160, CI: 1.140–1.180), and crop (OR = 1.502, 95 % CI: 1.384–1.630), shrub (OR = 1.387, 95 % CI: 1.269–1.515), or tree land cover (OR = 1.708, 95 % CI: 1.260–2.314) compared to built areas. However, among dog-owning households, variables had minimal practical impact on dog counts with most households (85.6 %) owning 1–3 dogs regardless of household size, location, or land cover. Urban districts exhibited significantly higher HDRs (18.3:1 vs. rural 7.1:1), further influenced by land cover (tree: 5.1:1 vs. built: 8.7:1). These findings highlight a critical divergence: while contextual factors strongly predict dog ownership, they do not meaningfully influence the number of dogs owned. Consequently, effective vaccination programmes require strategies tailored to local dog density and ownership patterns.

查看原文本刊更多论文

坦桑尼亚马拉地区养狗的社会生态决定因素。

了解家狗种群动态对狂犬病控制至关重要，特别是在撒哈拉以南非洲，那里的家狗是主要的病毒宿主。本研究调查了坦桑尼亚马拉地区（一个生态景观多样化的狂犬病流行地区）养狗的人口和环境决定因素。通过横断面家庭调查（n = 27,400户），我们采用混合效应模型来评估狗拥有量、狗数量和人犬比（hdr）的预测因素。总体而言，12,975个家庭（47% %）拥有狗，平均每个养狗家庭拥有2.2只狗。Logistic回归揭示了养狗的关键预测因素：城市家庭养狗的几率降低（OR = 0.311, CI: 0.132-0.734），而养狗的可能性随着家庭规模的增加而增加（成人：OR = 1.151, CI: 1.134-1.169；儿童：OR = 1.160, CI: 1.140-1.180），以及与建成区相比，农作物（OR = 1.502, 95 % CI: 1.384-1.630）、灌木（OR = 1.387, 95 % CI: 1.269-1.515）或树木覆盖（OR = 1.708, 95 % CI: 1.260-2.314）。然而，在养狗的家庭中，变量对狗数量的实际影响很小，大多数家庭（85.6% %）拥有1-3只狗，无论家庭规模、地点或土地覆盖如何。城市地区表现出更高的hdr (18.3:1 vs农村7.1:1)，进一步受到土地覆盖的影响（树木：5.1:1 vs建筑：8.7:1）。这些发现强调了一个关键的分歧：虽然环境因素强烈地预测了养狗的情况，但它们对养狗的数量并没有实质性的影响。因此，有效的疫苗接种规划需要根据当地狗的密度和所有权模式量身定制策略。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Preventive veterinary medicine 农林科学-兽医学

CiteScore

5.60

自引率

7.70%

发文量

184

审稿时长

3 months

期刊介绍： Preventive Veterinary Medicine is one of the leading international resources for scientific reports on animal health programs and preventive veterinary medicine. The journal follows the guidelines for standardizing and strengthening the reporting of biomedical research which are available from the CONSORT, MOOSE, PRISMA, REFLECT, STARD, and STROBE statements. The journal focuses on: Epidemiology of health events relevant to domestic and wild animals; Economic impacts of epidemic and endemic animal and zoonotic diseases; Latest methods and approaches in veterinary epidemiology; Disease and infection control or eradication measures; The "One Health" concept and the relationships between veterinary medicine, human health, animal-production systems, and the environment; Development of new techniques in surveillance systems and diagnosis; Evaluation and control of diseases in animal populations.