A multiuniversity survey on knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding zoonotic diseases among veterinary students in Vietnam

Abstract Undergraduate students of veterinary science are a key future workforce for zoonotic disease (ZD) prevention and One Health implementation, yet in Vietnam, their understanding of zoonosis-related knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) remains limited. This study aimed to assess KAP toward ZD prevention among veterinary students enrolled at Vietnamese universities and identified factors associated with KAP performance. A cross-sectional survey was conducted between January and November 2021 among undergraduate veterinary science students recruited from ten universities across Vietnam. Participants were invited to complete an online self-administered questionnaire on social demographic characteristics and KAP regarding ZD prevention. Multivariable regression was used to identify factors associated with KAP levels. Among 446 eligible responses to our survey, only 9.6% achieved good knowledge, 83.9% had positive attitudes, and 26.5% reported good practices toward ZDs. Better knowledge was associated with a higher prevalence of positive attitudes (PR 1.13, 95% CI: 1.02–1.27), whereas positive attitudes showed a strong association with good practice (PR 4.66, 95% CI: 2.14–10.17). Senior students (in years 3–5) were more likely to have good knowledge than juniors (PR 2.29, 95% CI: 1.15–4.57), but were less likely to report good practices (PR 0.59, 95% CI: 0.41–0.84). Students in the Central Highlands had lower prevalence of both good knowledge and positive attitudes than those in the North–Central region (PR 0.42, 95% CI: 0.18–0.95 and 0.76, 95% CI: 0.66–0.87, respectively). While veterinary students in Vietnam have a positive professional attitude, there are critical gaps in foundational knowledge and preventive practice relating to ZDs. These findings suggest that strengthening theoretical training, expanding competency-based instruction, and standardizing infection prevention and control protocols may help improve veterinary students’ preparedness and support Vietnam’s One Health strategy.