One Health and Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities: A One Health Pilot Study

Tamara Riley, Bonny Cumming , Joanne Thandrayen , Anna Meredith, Neil Anderson, Raymond Lovett

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities face barriers in accessing animal healthcare and are exposed to disproportionate environmental health exposures leading to increased risk of disease. A One Health approach has been promoted to address public health risks and improve human, animal, and environmental health outcomes in communities. We undertook a pilot One Health study in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in Queensland collecting animal, human, and environmental health data from 82 households. We performed a descriptive analysis and assessed the association between human and environmental health exposures and animal health outcomes. Most households were not crowded (82.9%) but did report a high level of environmental health concerns (86.6%). The majority of households owned cats and dogs (81.7%), with most animals assessed as healthy. There was no association between human and environmental health exposures and animal health outcomes. As most households experienced concerns regarding housing conditions, environmental health programs should prioritise improving household factors. There was also strong support for animal healthcare (including access to medicines and veterinarians, education programs and population management), indicating that a One Health approach is desired by communities.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1-16
Number of pages16
JournalInternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Volume20
Issue number14
Early online date20 Jul 2023
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 20 Jul 2023

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

  • Animals
  • Australia/epidemiology
  • Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples
  • Cats
  • Dogs
  • Environmental Exposure
  • Health Services, Indigenous
  • Humans
  • One Health
  • Pets
  • Pilot Projects
  • Queensland/epidemiology

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