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

Tamara Riley (), Bonny Cumming, Joanne Thandrayen, Anna Meredith, Neil E. Anderson and Raymond Lovett
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Tamara Riley: National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
Bonny Cumming: Animal Management in Rural and Remote Indigenous Communities (AMRRIC), Darwin, NT 0801, Australia
Joanne Thandrayen: National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
Anna Meredith: The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies and the Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, Roslin EH25 9RG, UK
Neil E. Anderson: The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies and the Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, Roslin EH25 9RG, UK
Raymond Lovett: National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 14, 1-16

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.

Keywords: One Health; Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander; human health; animal health; environmental health; zoonoses (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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