Avian influenza risk perception, Hong Kong

A telephone survey of 986 Hong Kong households determined exposure and risk perception of avian influenza from live chicken sales. Householders bought 38,370,000 live chickens; 11% touched them when buying, generating 4,220,000 exposures annually; 36% (95% confidence interval [Cl] 33%-39%) perceived this as risky, 9% (7%-11%) estimated >50% likelihood of resultant sickness, whereas 46% (43%-49%) said friends worried about such sickness. Recent China travel (adjusted odds ratio 0.35; Cl 0.13-0.91), traditional beliefs (1.20, 1.06-1.13), willingness to change (0.29, 0.11-0.81) and believing cooking protects against avian influenza (8.66, 1.61-46.68) predicted buying. Birth in China (2.79, 1.43-5.44) or overseas (4.23, 1.43-12.53) and unemployment (3.87,1.24-12.07) predicted touching. Age, avian influenza contagion worries, husbandry threat, avian influenza threat, and avian influenza anxiety predicted perceived sickness risk. High population exposures to live chickens and low perceived risk are potentially important health threats in avian influenza.