Sessions

Dogs and cats are kept in a substantial proportion of Hungarian households, and companion animals are often present in living spaces, including food preparation areas. This may increase opportunities for the transmission of zoonotic and foodborne pathogens. However, household food hygiene research rarely considers the presence of companion animals, and little is known about how housing conditions relate to risk perception and hygiene practices among owners. Using a One Health approach, we explored these relationships to support household-level risk assessment.

Our face-to-face survey (N=1025) was representative of the Hungarian adult population by gender, age group and region. Dog and/or cat owners (n=583) were classified into three groups according to animal housing: exclusively indoor, mixed indoor-outdoor, and exclusively outdoor. Factor analysis of variables measuring hygiene attitudes and practices identified five factors: general food safety attitude, risk perception related to pet keeping, understating of pet-related risks, kitchen hygiene practices, and pet-related hygiene practices. Groups were compared across these factors while accounting for demographic differences.

General food safety attitudes and kitchen hygiene practices were favourable in all groups, with no meaningful differences by housing type. Pet-related factors, however, showed a clear trend from exclusively outdoor to exclusively indoor housing: risk perception decreased, understating of risks increased, and pet-related hygiene precautions became less frequent. Close physical contact was more common among indoor-pet owners, yet only 38% always washed their hands after contact with their animal, compared with 80% of outdoor-pet owners. Veterinarians were the main source of information in all groups (59%), but seeking veterinary information was not associated with more realistic risk perception. Only 11% had received veterinary advice on the safe handling of pet food.

Our findings suggest that general food safety awareness does not automatically extend to pet-related risks: the closest human-animal contact was associated with the lowest risk perception and the least frequent hygiene precautions. As indoor-pet owners also rely primarily on veterinarians for information, veterinary communication may play a key role in prevention. It should focus on handwashing after animal contact, protecting food preparation areas, risks associated with close physical contact, and safe handling of pet food.

This research was implemented with the support of projects STARTING 153192 and 2025-2.1.1-EKÖP-2025-00022, funded by the Ministry of Culture and Innovation of Hungary from the National Research, Development and Innovation Fund under the STARTING_25 and 2025-2.1.1-EKÖP funding schemes, respectively.