Johnson Sarah, Bragdon Caroline, Olson Carolyn, Merlino Mario, Bonaparte Sancia
J Environ Health. 2016 Jun;78(10):22-9.
Characteristics of an urban setting such as New York City (NYC), including readily available putrescible waste and ample underground infrastructure, make it highly attractive to the Norway rat (Rattus norvegicus). To identify property and neighborhood characteristics associated with rat presence, recent inspectional results were analyzed from over 77,000 properties in the Bronx and Manhattan. Variables capturing the location and density of factors believed to promote rat populations were tested individually and in combination in models predicting rat activity. We found that property-specific characteristics typically associated with high garbage volume, including large numbers of residential units, public ownership, and open-space designation (parks, outdoor recreation, or vacant land) were the most important factors in explaining increased rat presence across neighborhoods in NYC. Interventions that involved improved garbage management and street sanitation within a designated area reduced the likelihood of finding rats, especially in medium- and high-poverty neighborhoods. Neighborhood characteristics, such as being near a railroad or subway line, having a school nearby, the presence of numerous restaurants, or having older infrastructure, also contributed to the increased likelihood of rats. Our results support the use of built environment data to target community-level interventions and capture emerging rat infestations.
纽约市（NYC）这样的城市环境特征，包括容易获得的易腐垃圾和充足的地下基础设施，使其对褐家鼠（Rattus norvegicus）极具吸引力。为了确定与老鼠出没相关的房产和社区特征，对布朗克斯区和曼哈顿区超过77,000处房产的近期检查结果进行了分析。在预测老鼠活动的模型中，分别对捕捉被认为会促进老鼠种群增长的因素的位置和密度的变量进行了单独测试和组合测试。我们发现，通常与高垃圾量相关的房产特定特征，包括大量住宅单元、公共所有权和开放空间指定（公园、户外休闲或空地），是解释纽约市各社区老鼠出没增加的最重要因素。在指定区域内改善垃圾管理和街道卫生的干预措施降低了发现老鼠的可能性，尤其是在中高贫困社区。社区特征，如靠近铁路或地铁线路、附近有学校、有众多餐馆或基础设施较旧，也增加了老鼠出现的可能性。我们的结果支持利用建筑环境数据来确定社区层面的干预措施，并捕捉新出现的鼠患。
