Impact of Psychosocial Factors and Veterinary Guidance on Zoonotic Risk Perception in the Province of Guayas.

Abstract

Canine intestinal parasitosis represents a constant threat to urban public health in the province of Guayas due to the risk of zoonotic transmission. Aiming to analyze the impact of psychosocial factors and veterinary medical guidance on the perception of this risk, a quantitative, non-experimental, cross-sectional, and analytical study was conducted among 218 dog owners (). A structured 32-item questionnaire on a Likert scale was administered, with subscales demonstrating excellent internal consistency (). After confirming data non-normality using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test (), a multiple linear regression analysis was performed. The adjusted model explained  of the variance in risk perception (), identifying hygiene practices (), psychosocial factors (), and frequency of veterinary visits () as significant predictors. Theoretical knowledge was not a significant autonomous predictor, indicating that its effect is mediated by preventive attitudes and practices. It is concluded that awareness of zoonotic risk depends on the active adoption of sanitary habits and regular veterinary guidance under a One Health approach.