Pets and public health
Dr. Melanie Rock studies how the animals in our lives can impact our health.
Story by Julie Sedivy/Photo by Trudie Lee
From the mid-19th century onward, most policy efforts related to animals and public health focused on moving animals out of cities. Urban and farming environments were separated to control the spread of diseases. But people seem unwilling to live without animals by their side; about half of Canadian households currently include at least one pet. Dr. Melanie Rock believes there are many untapped opportunities for policy-makers and health professionals to leverage the interwoven lives of humans and animals in a positive manner. To do this, it’s important to understand the complex ways in which pets and human health are interconnected.
Dr. Rock first became intrigued by the idea of studying the links between human and animal health while working on her Ph.D. thesis on the social aspects of diabetes. She realized that, when casual small talk turned to her research topic, people would often tell her about a pet in regards to their experiences with diabetes. Their stories inspired her to launch a study of pet owners who cared for a diabetic dog or cat. Dr. Rock found that people tended to use the health issues and treatment of their pets as a way of organizing their thoughts about human health. For some, their experiences with diabetic pets provided insight into the health choices of family members with the same disease or gave them the confidence that it would be less daunting to cope with a future case of diabetes in the family. One diabetic dog owner revealed that coping with her own illness became more manageable as a result of having a dog companion with similar health needs like insulin therapy and daily walks.
Dr. Rock suggests intertwined thinking about human and pet health opens up a number of possible strategies for public health communications. For instance, health-related websites might draw comparisons between animal and human health as a way of making the information “stick” better in people’s minds and motivate them to apply the information to their own health. For many people, their first encounter with serious health problems arises as a result of caring for sick pets and using the human–animal bond could be a very useful approach to creating awareness about difficult medical issues.
Relationships with pets can also have broad impacts throughout the social environments of pet owners. Recently, Dr. Rock’s attention has turned to how pets affect people’s sense of public space and to how these feelings affect health. For example, people who walk their dogs often benefit from more than just physical activity; they are also more likely to have someone stop to talk with them, enriching their social experiences. The presence of dog walkers can also make it more likely that others will walk in the neighbourhood, contributing to a positive perception of the community as a safe and friendly place. Such spiraling effects can be very powerful: for instance, people’s perceptions and feelings about their neighbourhood have been shown to affect their blood sugar levels.
However, the presence of animals in a city can have negative effects. Pet litter, or loose and uncontrolled animals, can easily discourage physical activity in parks and neighborhoods. People’s cultural perceptions or previous experiences with animals can also lead to avoidance of pets and their owners. It is crucial to understand the conditions where interactions with animals lead to positive rather than negative effects, emphasizes Dr. Rock. Armed with these insights, policy-makers and other professionals can then make decisions to help foster the benefits of animal presence, while minimizing their negative impact. For instance, parks can be designed to welcome dog owners by providing exercise areas and dog-friendly signs; in addition, having litter disposal bags available and enforcing leash rules can reduce the negative effects on other users.
Animals are clearly here to stay in our cities. Dr. Rock hopes her team’s research will highlight how their presence provides valuable opportunities for enhancing public health.