A Comparison Between Male and Female Latino Americans on Perception of Spaying and Neutering Pets
Authors: Julie Flores and Josh Lairsey
Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Karen Hambright
Abstract:
The primary goal of this study was to investigate the relationship between male and female Latino American attitudes and awareness on spaying and/or neutering cats and dogs. We examined whether the attitudes differed among male and female Latino American adults, along with multi-generational sections of the population to determine if any significant differences could be identified. Participants completed a Spanish language questionnaire and responded to various survey items inquiring about their perception on spaying/neutering.Our results provide support of the multi-generational differences in awareness and knowledge of the importance of spaying/neutering, with later generations of Latino Americans showing greater awareness and knowledge. Gender attitudes have been shown to be a significant predictor whether any contraceptive procedures will be administered to their pets (Favor, 2009). No support was found for the belief that the process of neutering would be emasculating. This evidence provides the foundation for an educational program that incorporates the distribution of the Spanish language pamphlet developed as a Service-Learning project to provide the Latino community with accurate information regarding the positive effects of spaying/neutering.
