MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-four male Awassi lambs (initial body weight, 17.33 ± 0.821 kg; age, 75 ± 1.5 days) were randomly allocated to three dietary treatments (n = 8/group): control (CON; 0 g/kg BAWA), BAWA100 (100 g/kg BAWA), and BAWA200 (200 g/kg BAWA) on a dry matter (DM) basis. The 73-day experiment comprised 10 days of adaptation and 63 days of data collection. Nutrient intake, growth performance, feed efficiency, and feeding costs were determined. Five lambs per group were used for digestibility and N balance assessment. Carcass characteristics, meat quality, FA composition, and serum biochemical indicators were also evaluated.
RESULTS: BAWA100 and BAWA200 increased DM, crude protein (CP), and metabolizable energy intake compared with CON (p < 0.02). BAWA200 increased final body weight, total gain, and average daily gain and improved feed efficiency (p ≤ 0.007). The cost of gain was lower with BAWA200 (p < 0.001). DM and CP digestibility increased with BAWA200, while N retention improved with both BAWA treatments (p < 0.05). Fasting live weight, hot and cold carcass weights, and carcass cut weights were greater with BAWA200 (p ≤ 0.03). Dietary BAWA did not adversely affect meat quality or FA composition. Most serum biochemical indicators remained unaffected, whereas aspartate aminotransferase was numerically lower (p = 0.051) and alanine aminotransferase activities were lower in BAWA-fed lambs (p ≤ 0.05).
CONCLUSION: Dietary inclusion of BAWA, particularly at 200 g/kg DM, improved growth performance, nutrient utilization, N retention, carcass yield, feed efficiency, and economic outcomes without compromising meat quality, FA composition, or health indicators. BAWA can therefore serve as a practical alternative to conventional concentrate ingredients in growing Awassi lamb diets while supporting more economical and sustainable small-ruminant production.
METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was used in this study. The questionnaire included three domains: demographic information, vaccine hesitancy by the health belief model related to the COVID-19 vaccine, and hesitancy by attitude and conspiracy towards the COVID-19 vaccine. A total of 401 adults participated in this study.
RESULTS: The respondents' perceptions of COVID-19 susceptibility and severity showed that the participants did not feel at risk nor believe that COVID-19 was serious. Connivance beliefs were found to be associated with reliance on social media as a major source of information about COVID-19 vaccines, and lack of trust in vaccine manufacturers (pharmaceutical companies). The majority of the respondents were concerned about the efficacy and safety of the COVID-19 vaccine, which can be reported as a major barrier to vaccination.
RECOMMENDATIONS: To increase vaccination rates, health authorities need to communicate both the benefits and risks of vaccination. In addition, we recommend using a qualitative study to understand and evaluate the participants' concepts in depth.