title: Applying One Health to the Study of Animal-Assisted Interventions.
abstract: The use of animal-assisted interventions in therapeutic programs is a growing phenomenon. Animal-assisted interventions (AAIs) involve a variety of species (dogs, cats, horses, domesticated birds, etc.) in primary health care. Despite their increasing application in a wide range of therapeutic services, the empirical evidence base of AAIs is limited. The authors of this paper propose that the public health framework of One Health can be adapted to advance AAI research. One Health's perspective on the environment is primarily ecological. The environmental impact on the human-animal interactions within AAIs, however, incorporates social, cultural, political, and economic factors. The environment has received minimal attention in AAI research. The authors discuss how this framework has been used in their prior AAI research and work with Indigenous people. Applying this framework to AAIs may guide future AAI research.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Social Work, University of Regina, 153-111 Research Drive, Saskatoon, SK, Canada. darlene.chalmers@uregina.ca.
authors.forename: Darlene
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Chalmers
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology and School of Public Health, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada.
authors.forename: Colleen Anne
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Dell
mesh_terms: D056447:Animal Assisted Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D000818:Animals; D001717:Birds; D002415:Cats; D004285:Dogs; D005544:Forecasting; D014943:Global Health / Q000639:trends*; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006736:Horses; D006801:Humans; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000379:methods*
keywords: One Health; animal-assisted interventions (AAIs); human–animal bond; indigenous worldviews; research framework and AAIs; social environment; zooeyia