Barriers, not demographics, affect willingness to go to the vet: survey

When seeking veterinary care for dogs, barriers to access have a larger impact on owners’ decision to go to the vet than differences in race, gender or socioeconomic status, a new survey shows.

Researchers at North Carolina State University who conducted the study, published in Veterinary Sciences, say the results could help veterinarians develop outreach strategies for underserved communities.

The research team surveyed 858 self-identified dog owners. Participants were asked to indicate how likely they would be to seek veterinary care under 18 different circumstances. Participants were also asked supplemental questions about their relationship with their dog, previous veterinary behavior and demographic information.

While there was some variance for different medical scenarios, the overall likelihood of dog owners to seek care didn’t differ significantly across demographics including race, gender and socioeconomic status. But there were demographic differences related to barriers to veterinary care.

The primary barriers to care identified by respondents were transportation, veterinary office hours, cost, language differences and trust. Cost was a bigger factor for dog owners under 29 years old or households making less than $60,000 a year. These barriers cut across all demographics.

Black and Native American respondents were about 10-15% more likely to indicate a lack of trust as a barrier to seeking veterinary care.

“This was the most interesting finding,” said Rachel Park, one of the researchers, adding that this merits further study.

“I’m hopeful that this study can help us better understand the barriers different communities face,” Park said. “Everyone wants to do what’s best for their dog, so the veterinary community has the opportunity to help ensure equal access to care and try and ease those barriers.”