ABSTRACT

Background and Aim: Brucellosis remains an important zoonotic disease affecting animal health, public health, food safety, and livestock productivity. Veterinary students are future frontline professionals in disease surveillance, biosafety, risk communication, and zoonotic disease control. However, evidence regarding their preparedness for brucellosis control within a One Health framework remains limited in Indonesia. This study assessed the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of undergraduate veterinary students regarding brucellosis control and examined relationships among these domains.

Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted from January to April 2026 among 216 undergraduate veterinary students at Universitas Brawijaya, Malang, Indonesia. Of 300 eligible students invited, 216 completed a validated structured questionnaire, yielding a 72.0% response rate. The questionnaire assessed demographic characteristics, knowledge of brucellosis, attitudes toward control, and self-reported preventive practices. Content validity was high (S-CVI/Ave = 0.94). Descriptive statistics, Spearman’s rank correlation, Chi-square test, and odds ratio (OR) analysis were performed.

Results: Good knowledge was observed in 95.4% of respondents, although a pronounced ceiling effect limited score discrimination. The overall weighted mean attitude and practice scores were 4.164 and 4.182, respectively. Handwashing after livestock contact (4.55) and use of personal protective equipment (4.49) received the highest practice scores, whereas field- and community-oriented activities received lower scores. Knowledge was not significantly correlated with attitude (ρ = −0.040, p = 0.559) or practice (ρ = 0.008, p = 0.905). In contrast, attitude was moderately and positively correlated with practice (ρ = 0.444, p < 0.001). Students with high attitude scores had significantly greater odds of reporting high practice scores (χ² = 42.6, p < 0.001; OR = 6.76; 95% confidence interval = 3.72–12.3).

Conclusion: Veterinary students demonstrated strong foundational knowledge and generally favorable attitudes and preventive practices regarding brucellosis control. However, gaps in field response and community engagement indicate that knowledge alone may not translate into preventive behavior. Strengthening One Health-based veterinary education through experiential field training, case-based exercises, practical competency assessment, and intersectoral learning may improve preparedness for zoonotic disease control.

Keywords: brucellosis control, Indonesia, knowledge attitudes practices, One Health, preventive practices, veterinary education, veterinary students, zoonotic disease.