Department of Interdisciplinary Studies, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative, Animal Health Centre, Abbotsford, BC, Canada.
BMC Public Health. 2019 Jul 1;19(1):853. doi: 10.1186/s12889-019-7202-6.
The presence of urban rats in the neighbourhood environment may negatively impact the physical and mental health of residents. Our study sought to describe the experiences with, perceptions of, and feelings towards rats and rat control efforts among a group of disadvantaged urban residents in Vancouver, Canada.
Semi-structured interviews were held with 20 members of the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users (VANDU) recruited by VANDU staff. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using thematic analysis.
Participants reported daily sightings of rats and close contact during encounters. Participants generally disliked encountering rats, raising issues of health and safety for themselves and the community due to the belief that rats carry disease. Fear of rats was common, and in some cases resulted in avoidance of rats. Effects of rats on participants were particularly pronounced for those living with rats in the home or for homeless participants who described impacts on sleep due to the sounds made by rats. Although rats were viewed as more problematic in their neighbourhood than elsewhere in Vancouver, participants believed there to be a lack of neighbourhood-level control initiatives that angered and disheartened participants. In combination with other community-level concerns (e.g., housing quality and availability), the presence of rats was viewed by some to align with a general disregard for the community and its residents.
This study suggests that the presence of rats in urban centres may have several consequences on the physical and mental health of residents living in close contact with them. These effects may be exacerbated with continued contact with rats and when residents perceive a lack of initiative to control rats in their neighbourhood. As such, research and policies aimed at mitigating the health risks posed by rats should extend beyond disease-related risk and incorporate diverse health outcomes.
城市啮齿动物的存在可能会对居民的身心健康产生负面影响。我们的研究旨在描述加拿大温哥华一群弱势城市居民对老鼠及其控制措施的体验、看法和感受。
通过温哥华毒瘾者网络（VANDU）工作人员招募了 20 名 VANDU 成员，对他们进行了半结构化访谈。访谈进行了录音、转录，并使用主题分析进行了分析。
参与者报告称每天都能看到老鼠，并在遇到老鼠时与之近距离接触。参与者普遍不喜欢遇到老鼠，因为他们认为老鼠携带疾病，这会对他们自己和社区的健康和安全造成问题。对老鼠的恐惧很常见，在某些情况下，由于老鼠发出的声音，他们会避免与老鼠接触。老鼠对参与者的影响尤其明显，对于那些家中有老鼠的人或无家可归的参与者来说，老鼠会影响他们的睡眠。尽管参与者认为老鼠在他们的社区比在温哥华的其他地方更成问题，但他们认为缺乏邻里层面的控制措施，这让他们感到愤怒和灰心。老鼠的存在与其他社区层面的问题（例如住房质量和供应）结合在一起，一些人认为这反映了对社区及其居民的普遍漠视。
本研究表明，城市中心的老鼠存在可能对与老鼠近距离接触的居民的身心健康产生多种影响。如果居民继续与老鼠接触，并且认为邻里没有采取措施控制老鼠，这些影响可能会加剧。因此，旨在减轻老鼠对健康构成的风险的研究和政策不应仅限于与疾病相关的风险，而应纳入各种健康结果。
