Shifting the Focus: A Photovoice exploration of the benefits and barriers of having a pet while experiencing homelessness.

While experiencing homelessness with a pet can present unique challenges, it can also provide physical health, mental health, and social benefits. A Photovoice project with adolescents and adults experiencing homelessness with a pet was conducted in Seattle, Washington, USA in 2018-2019 to explore the experience of homelessness with a pet, the impact of the human-animal bond on the health of each, and to drive policy changes to help support people experiencing homelessness (PEH) with pets. Twenty-five people spanning a range of age groups, genders, and living situations were recruited primarily through homeless-services providers, 19 of whom completed the study and created over 900 images. One-on-one semi-structured interviews were conducted with each participant to review printed photos. A key theme emerging from the interviews and photos was the importance and strength of the human-animal bond, providing mental and physical health benefits, and motivation for daily activities or making/maintaining positive changes. Challenges related to homelessness with a pet included barriers to access services, housing, and employment. Participants provided policy recommendations to improve support for PEH with pets. Multiple public exhibitions of images from all participants were held, reaching service providers, policy makers, and the general public. Visitor feedback included statements of positive change in attitudes towards PEH with pets among housed individuals. Collectively, the images, stories and themes deepen our understanding of homelessness with pets, leading to increased empathy and potential for policies that benefit the health of PEH and their pets.

A Cross Sectional Study of Respiratory and Allergy Status in Dairy Workers.

INTRODUCTION: Workers on dairy farms face exposures to organic dusts and endotoxin. At the same time, a number of studies of farmers have reported a lower prevalence of asthma in farmworkers compared to persons without farm contact. The "hygiene hypothesis" suggests that early life exposures on farms could be protective against allergic disease and asthma. Such protective relationships are less well studied in adult farm workers. METHODS: A cross-sectional analysis of respiratory function and allergy status was performed in a sample of dairy farm workers (n = 42) and community controls (n = 40). Measures of respiratory status (spirometry, exhaled nitric oxide FeNO, self-reported symptoms) and levels of total and bovine-specific IgE were compared between the groups. RESULTS: Prevalence of self-reported asthma and most respiratory symptoms was similar in the two groups, with the exception of increased report of dyspnea among dairy workers. In the dairy workers, level of lung function was not reduced and FeNO was not increased. In unadjusted and adjusted models, dairy work was not associated with reduced lung function or increased airway inflammation. Mean IgE levels did not differ significantly between workers and controls, but elevated bovine-specific IgE was detected only among dairy workers, with an apparent association between elevated bovine IgE and increased FeNO. CONCLUSION: While dairy workers did not demonstrate increased asthma prevalence compared to controls, sensitization to bovine antigen in several workers appeared to be associated with airway inflammation. Occupational health programs for dairy workers should consider the risk of animal allergy as part of respiratory health protection efforts.

Household Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from Humans to Pets, Washington and Idaho, USA.

SARS-CoV-2 likely emerged from an animal reservoir. However, the frequency of and risk factors for interspecies transmission remain unclear. We conducted a community-based study in Idaho, USA, of pets in households that had >1 confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infections in humans. Among 119 dogs and 57 cats, clinical signs consistent with SARS-CoV-2 were reported for 20 dogs (21%) and 19 cats (39%). Of 81 dogs and 32 cats sampled, 40% of dogs and 43% of cats were seropositive, and 5% of dogs and 8% of cats were PCR positive. This discordance might be caused by delays in sampling. Respondents commonly reported close human‒animal contact and willingness to take measures to prevent transmission to their pets. Reported preventive measures showed a slightly protective but nonsignificant trend for both illness and seropositivity in pets. Sharing of beds and bowls had slight harmful effects, reaching statistical significance for sharing bowls and seropositivity.

Household transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from humans to pets in Washington and Idaho: burden and risk factors.

SARS-CoV-2 is believed to have emerged from an animal reservoir; however, the frequency of and risk factors for inter-species transmission remain unclear. We carried out a community-based study of pets in households with one or more confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection in humans. Among 119 dogs and 57 cats with completed surveys, clinical signs consistent with SARS-CoV-2 were reported in 20 dogs (21%) and 19 cats (39%). Out of 81 dogs and 32 cats sampled for testing, 40% of dogs and 43% of cats were seropositive, and 5% of dogs and 8% of cats were PCR positive; this discordance may be due to delays in sampling. Respondents commonly reported close human-animal contact and willingness to take measures to prevent transmission to their pets. Reported preventative measures showed a slightly protective trend for both illness and seropositivity in pets, while sharing of beds and bowls had slight harmful effects.

Correction: Fecal microbiota dysbiosis in macaques and humans within a shared environment.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0210679.].

Fecal microbiota dysbiosis in macaques and humans within a shared environment.

Traditional zoonotic disease research focuses on detection of recognized pathogens and may miss opportunities to understand broader microbial transmission dynamics between humans, animals, and the environment. We studied human-macaque microbiome overlap in Kosum Phisai District, Maha Sarakham Province, Thailand, where a growing population of long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis) in Kosumpee Forest Park interact with humans from an adjacent village. We surveyed workers in or near the park with elevated exposure to macaques to characterize tasks resulting in exposure to macaque feces in addition to dietary and lifestyle factors that influence gut microbiome composition. Fecal samples were collected from 12 exposed workers and 6 controls without macaque exposure, as well as 8 macaques from Kosumpee Forest Park and 4 from an isolated forest patch with minimal human contact. The V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene from fecal sample extracted DNA was amplified and sequenced using Illumina MiSeq to characterize the microbial community. A permuted betadisper test on the weighted UniFrac distances revealed significant differences in the dispersion patterns of gut microbiota from exposed and control macaques (p = 0.03). The high variance in gut microbiota composition of macaques in contact with humans has potential implications for gut microbiome stability and susceptibility to disease, described by the Anna Karenina principle (AKP). Human samples had homogenous variance in beta diversity but different spatial medians between groups (p = 0.02), indicating a shift in microbial composition that may be explained by fundamental lifestyle differences between the groups unrelated to exposure status. SourceTracker was used to estimate the percent of gut taxa in exposed humans that was contributed by macaques. While one worker showed evidence of elevated contribution, the overall trend was not significant. Task observations among workers revealed opportunities to employ protective measures or training to reduce exposure to occupational hazards. These results suggest the potential for hygiene measures to mitigate negative aspects of contact between humans and macaques in order to optimize the health of both populations.

Long-Tailed Macaques (Macaca fascicularis) in Urban Landscapes: Gastrointestinal Parasitism and Barriers for Healthy Coexistence in Northeast Thailand.

Gastrointestinal parasites have diverse life cycles that can involve people, animals, and the environment (e.g., water and soil), demonstrating the utility of One Health frameworks in characterizing infection risk. Kosumpee Forest Park (Thailand) is home to a dense population of long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis) that frequently interact with tourists and local residents. Our study investigated the presence of zoonotic parasites, and barriers to healthy coexistence by conducting stool analysis on macaques (N = 102) and people (N = 115), and by examining risk factors for infection with a household questionnaire (N = 95). Overall, 44% of macaques and 12% of people were infected with one or more gastrointestinal helminths, including Strongyloides spp., Ascaris spp., and Trichuris sp. An adults-only generalized linear mixed model identified three factors significantly associated with human infection: household size, occupational exposure, and contact with macaque feces at home. Participants identified both advantages and disadvantages to living in close contact with macaques, suggesting that interventions to improve human and animal health in Kosumpee Forest Park would be welcome.

Pet owners' perceptions of veterinary safety practices.

Veterinary workers must care for their animal patients while simultaneously protecting their own health and safety. This process can be complicated by the presence and perception of pet owners who may not agree with a given tactic used to protect veterinary workers from injury. We conducted focus groups of pet owners in the Seattle area during November 2016 to gain a deeper understanding of their perceptions relating to veterinary worker safety practices. Focus group interviews were recorded and transcribed and study themes identified and summarised. Twenty pet owners participated in three focus groups. Study themes arising from the focus group discussions could be categorised into human, animal, behavioural and environmental domains as outlined in a One Health Occupational Safety and Health (OHOSH) model. Communication was a recurring study theme identified, suggesting that lacking or impaired veterinary personnel-client communication plays a key role in the safe delivery of veterinary services and can negatively impact the use of safety practices among veterinary personnel. Our study suggests that it is important for veterinary personnel to communicate to clients the reasons for policies related to worker safety. Such communication can help engage the veterinary client in order to effectively avoid situations that precipitate injury.

Assessing Hearing Conservation Program Effectiveness: Results of a Multisite Assessment.

OBJECTIVES: Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) remains one of the most prevalent occupational diseases. Occupational hearing conservation programs (HCPs) can reduce the risk of NIHL, but there remains no consensus on assessing HCP effectiveness. We conducted a multisite, mixed-method assessment of HCP programs. METHODS: At 13 manufacturing plants, we performed assessments, including interviews with program staff and worker focus groups and surveys. We analyzed the association between these assessments and age-corrected NIHL rates. RESULTS: Only a few items from the HCP staff interviews correlated with NIHL rates. For the employee survey, management commitment to NIHL prevention and being counseled about NIHL were strongly associated with NIHL rates. CONCLUSION: Management commitment and counseling of workers about NIHL may be key factors in program effectiveness. A combination of qualitative and quantitative methods appears to be useful for assessing HCPs.

A statewide observational assessment of the pedestrian and bicycling environment in Hawaii, 2010.

INTRODUCTION: Walking and bicycling are important but underused modes of transportation in the United States. Road design influences how much walking and bicycling takes place along streets and roads. Currently, numerous national policy initiatives, including Safe Routes to School and Complete Streets, are attempting to improve pedestrian and bicycling infrastructure and "friendliness." However, no state has completed a systematic assessment of its streets to determine how amenable they are to walking and bicycling. Our statewide study was undertaken to assess how accessible and friendly Hawaii roads are to these 2 activities. METHODS: We randomly selected street segments in Hawaii's 4 counties and then completed objective assessments using the Pedestrian Environmental Data Scan. We audited 321 segments, and interrater reliability was adequate across all measures. Streets were coded as high (42.4%) or low capacity (57.6%) depending on how much vehicular traffic the street was designed to accommodate. Outcome measures included street accommodations (ie, sidewalks and crossing aids) and pedestrian and bicyclist use. RESULTS: Most high-capacity streets had sidewalks (66%). These sidewalks were usually in good condition, contiguous, and had traffic control devices and pedestrian signals. Most low-capacity roads did not have sidewalks (63.4%). Bicycling facilities were limited (<10%) on both types of roads. Pedestrian and bicycle traffic was related to mixed use, including both residential and retail space, and to pedestrian and bicycling infrastructure. CONCLUSION: Road segments in Hawaii with more infrastructure and types of use, including single-family houses, apartment complexes, restaurants, office buildings, and industrial buildings, are used more by pedestrians and bicyclists.

A food store intervention trial improves caregiver psychosocial factors and children's dietary intake in Hawaii.

Diet-related chronic diseases are at epidemic levels in low-income ethnic minority populations. The purpose of this study is to decrease risk for obesity in children by modifying the food environment and conducting point-of-purchase promotions that will lead to changes in psychosocial factors and behaviors associated with healthier food choices among low-income communities with a preponderance of Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders. We implemented an intervention trial over a 9-11-month period in five food stores in two low-income multiethnic communities in Hawaii, targeting both children and their adult caregivers. The Healthy Foods Hawaii (HFH) intervention consisted of an environmental component to increase store stocking of nutritious foods, point-of-purchase promotions, interactive sessions, and involved local producers and distributors. We evaluated the impact of the program on 116 child-caregiver dyads, sampled from two intervention and two comparison areas before and after intervention implementation. Program impacts were evaluated using multivariable linear regression. The HFH program had a significant impact on caregiver knowledge and the perception that healthy foods are convenient. Intervention children significantly increased their Healthy Eating Index (HEI) score for servings of grains, their total consumption of water, and showed an average 8.5 point (out of 90 total, eliminating the 10 points for variety, giving a 9.4% increase) increase in overall HEI score. A food store intervention was effective in improving healthy food knowledge and perception that healthy foods are convenient among caregivers, and increased the consumption of several targeted healthy foods by their children. Greater intensity, sustained food system change, and further targeting for children are needed to show greater and sustained change in food-related behaviors in low-income Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities.

Breastfeeding is associated with lower body mass index among children of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the prevalence of breastfeeding and overweight in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), and the relationship between the two. DESIGN AND METHODS: A random cluster survey of 420 children (aged 6 months to 10 years), was conducted in the CNMI in June and July of 2005. Children were measured for weight and height and caregivers were asked about past feeding habits by trained investigators. RESULTS: Seventy-three percent of children were ever breastfed; 53% were still breastfed at 6 months, and 22% at 1 year of age. Five percent of children were found to be underweight (<5th percentile), while 15% were at risk for overweight (85th to <95th percentile) and 19% were overweight (>95th percentile), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention body mass index for age reference data. Children who had been breastfed had a substantially lower body mass index than children who had not breastfed, after adjusting for age, sex, birthweight, and years of mother's education. DISCUSSION: These findings will be used to guide program development in the CNMI.