Determinants of rabies pre-exposure prophylaxis vaccination willingness among pet hospital staff in Guiyang, China: a cross-sectional study

Abstract Background : While rabies pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is recommended for high-risk groups, its uptake remains suboptimal among Chinese pet hospital staff. This study aimed to assess PrEP acceptance and associated factors in this population. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted from September to December 2024 using multistage sampling. Data on demographics, PrEP knowledge, and vaccination willingness were collected from 229 staff across Guiyang's pet hospitals. Logistic regression analyses identified key determinants. Results: A total of 241 questionnaires were collected, with 229 valid questionnaires and a validity rate of 95.0 %. The willingness rate of pre-exposure prophylaxis was 68.1%, but the rate of actual vaccination was only 9.8%. The results of one-way c² test showed that the differences between groups of vaccination willingness were statistically significant for monthly income (P<0.001), whether they had been vaccinated with pre-exposure prophylaxis (P=0.003), and whether they thought that rabies vaccine could be given before exposure to prevent rabies (P<0.001). Multifactorial logistic regression analysis showed that those with a monthly income of $6,000 or more (OR=19.349, 95% CI=2.054-182.245), those who thought it was not possible to get rabies vaccine before the injury (OR=7.375, 95% CI=1.765-30.82), or those who did not know (OR=11.448, 95% CI=1.996-65.655 ) had a low willingness to vaccinate against rabies. The willingness to recommend rabies vaccination for rabies prevention (OR=2.936, 95% CI=1.218-7.076) was lower among those who believed that rabies vaccination for rabies prevention (OR=2.936, 95% CI=1.218-7.076) was not allowed before injury (OR=2.198, 95% CI=1.044-4.628) except for other positions of veterinarians, and were aged 25-30 years (OR=2.779, 95% CI=1.237-6.224). Conclusion: Targeted interventions should address economic barriers and knowledge gaps, particularly the prevalent "no exposure, no vaccination" misconception.