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Cited by 111Human-Animal Interaction StudiesInjury Epidemiology and PreventionRabies epidemiology and control

How many people have been bitten by dogs? A cross-sectional survey of prevalence, incidence and factors associated with dog bites in a UK community

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Westgarth, Carri, Brooke, Megan, Christley, Robert M·2018·Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health
DOI 10.1136/jech-2017-209330PMC PMC5868524
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Abstract

Background: Dog bite studies are typically based on hospital records and may be biased towards bites requiring significant medical treatment. This study investigated true dog bite prevalence and incidence at a community-level and victim-related risk factors, in order to inform policy and prevention. Methods: A cross-sectional study of a community of 1280 households in Cheshire, UK, surveyed 694 respondents in 385 households. Data included dog ownership and bite history, demographics, health and personality (Ten Item Personality Inventory (TIPI) brief measure). Multivariable logistic regression modelled risk factors for having ever been bitten by a dog, accounting for clustering of individuals within households. Results: A quarter of participants (24.78%, 95% CI 21.72 to 28.13) reported having ever been bitten by a dog during their lifetime, with only a third of bites described requiring further medical treatment and 0.6% hospital admission. Incidence of dog bites was 18.7 (11.0–31.8) per 1000 population per year. Males were 1.81 times more likely to have been bitten in their lifetime than females (95% CI 1.20 to 2.72, P=0.005). Current owners of multiple dogs were 3.3 times more likely (95% CI 1.13 to 9.69, P=0.03) to report having been bitten than people not currently owning a dog. Regarding all bites described, most commonly people were bitten by a dog that they had never met before the incident (54.7%). Individuals scoring higher in emotional stability had a lower risk of having ever been bitten (OR=0.77 for 1 point change in scale between 1 and 7, 95% CI 0.66 to 0.9, P=0.001). Conclusion: This study suggests that the real burden of dog bites is considerably larger than those estimated from hospital records. Further, many bites do not require medical treatment and hospital-based bite data are not representative of bites within the wider population. Victim personality requires further investigation and potential consideration in the design of bite prevention schemes.

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  • In the UK, 18.7 dog bites per 1000 population per year were reported.

    “In the UK, 18.7 dog bites per 1000 population per year were reported [164]”

    From A One Health Perspective on the Human-Companion Animal Relationship with Emphasis on Zoonotic Aspects. (2020) · cites this paper as [164]

    The Results report an incidence of 18.7 dog bites per 1,000 people per year among survey respondents in a UK community. The Discussion cautions that the study examined one geographical location and may not be generalisable to the wider population, so the figure is not established as a UK-wide rate. (LLM, conf=0.88)

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Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Westgarth, C., Brooke, M., & Christley, R. M.
Affiliations
University of Liverpool (GB)
Corresponding author
Westgarth, Carri
ORCID
Venue
Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health
Publisher
BMJ
Published
2018-02-01
Volume
72
Issue
4
Pages
331-336
ISSN
  • 0141-7681 (ISSN-L)
  • 0143-005X
  • 1470-2738
DOI
10.1136/jech-2017-209330
PMC
PMC5868524
OpenAlex
W2787824919
Cited by
111
References
2
Citations by year
2026: 13 · 2025: 14 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 14 · 2022: 15 · 2021: 14 · 2020: 15 · 2019: 14 · 2018: 5
FWCI
7.34
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
cc-by
Locations
  • Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • HighWire Press Open Archive (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Funders
Medical Research Council
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Human-Animal Interaction Studies
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Injury Epidemiology and Prevention
  • Life Sciences › Immunology and Microbiology › Virology › Rabies epidemiology and control
Keywords
dog bites, dog ownership, risk factors, emotional stability, personality traits, bite prevention, hospitalization, community survey
MeSH terms
Accidents, Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Animals, Bites and Stings, Child, Child, Preschool, Cross-Sectional Studies, Dogs, Female, United Kingdom, Hospital Records, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Ownership, Risk Factors, Incidence, Prevalence, Age Distribution, Sex Distribution, Young Adult

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