Swine welfare perceptions among future animal professionals in Latin America

The importance of swine welfare has grown in Latin America, driving universities in this region to place significant efforts in developing educational opportunities to better prepare future animal professionals. While students' perspectives are central to assess the efficacy of these programs, research remains limited. To tackle this issue, this study aimed to explore, through an online survey, Latin American future animal professionals' perceptions and attitudes toward swine welfare and examine their confidence in discussing and addressing welfare issues specific to pigs. The survey was distributed among universities located in Ecuador, Brazil, Chile, and Honduras to undergraduate and graduate students in veterinary and animal science programs. Participant responses (n = 216) were analyzed using cluster and risk factor analysis. Cluster analysis revealed three distinct groups, all of which agreed on the importance of animal welfare but varied in how students value swine welfare education and in their confidence to communicate and address swine welfare issues. Additionally, risk factor analysis revealed that students' source of information was an important cluster membership predictor. Overall, this study provided insights into students' perspectives, values, and confidence regarding swine welfare, as well as recommendations for future research that universities and researchers should consider to further enhance the education of future animal professionals in the region and beyond.