Health Economics & Outcome Research: Open Access

An Initiative to Improve Health at a Zoological Park

Ava Corbyn^{* *}Correspondence: Ava Corbyn, Editorial Office, Health Economics and Outcome Research, Brussels, Belgium, Email:

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Introduction

As these non-infectious diseases increasingly endanger human health and the general public health, there has been a shift in disease research and interests away from infectious, communicable diseases and toward non-communicable, chronic, human-induced diseases (such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease). The phrase "epidemiologic transition" refers to this change in patterns of mortality, fertility, life expectancy, and causes of death in the population. With effects on the environment and all living things within it, industrialization and urbanisation are linked to the epidemiologic change. As a result, chronic, non-communicable diseases, which drive up healthcare expenditures and have a close relationship with fat, are at the forefront of human health care. The obstacles facing conservation have grown as human health issues have changed. This is a wholistic strategy that emerged at a time when the preservation of animals, wild places, and the people who depend on them were being threatened by infectious and non-infectious diseases. A more recent movement has evolved in response to the rise in newly developing infectious diseases and their frequently zoonotic origins, even if conservation medicine offers a comprehensive approach to the ecological context of health. A transdisciplinary approach to the sustainable treatment of complex health problems resulting from the interplay of animals, humans, and their environment is what this effort, most recently known as One Health, is described as. The One Health effort can be best understood in terms of its two fundamental elements: ecological and translational, which both focus on comparative medicine.

Zoos' One Health activities have mostly concentrated on studying and disseminating information about zoonotic diseases and the humanwildlife interface. One Health places a strong emphasis on educating the public about these dangers to both human and animal health.Assuming that if disease risks are effectively conveyed, public attitudes toward zoonotic disease management will be altered, one purpose of these communications has been to foster public support for healthy wildlife populations. Zoological institutions should be at the forefront of the One Health movement due to the transdisciplinary nature of their work and their strong focus on recreation, education, research, and conservation. As the field of One Health expands and the general public becomes more aware of its importance, broader communications about One Health's role are required. Given the advantages of recreation for zoo visitors' health in a world that is mostly urbanised and sedentary, recreation is becoming more and more important in the framework of One Health. Through physical activity on zoo campuses and contact with exhibits and animals, zoos foster a connection between people and nature and promote good human habits.

We have outlined seven key principles for the special place zoos hold within One Health. These consist of

(1) Preserving biodiversity by caring for zoo animals.

(2) Researching illnesses of conservation concern.

(3) Recognising diseases in zoo animals as sentinels for emerging diseases of humans and other animals.

(4) Monitoring disease in wild animals at the nexus of wildlife, domestic animals, and humans.

(5) Advancing comparative medicine and the discovery of all life forms.

(6) Investigating the diversity of life at both microscopic and macro scales.

(7) Nature is beneficial to human health.

These positions guide the zoos' One Health messaging efforts and motivate them to devote resources to spreading the message to patrons, members, and communities.

According to studies, public health initiatives should address these issues by promoting chances for people to interact with nature, such as visiting zoos or other green places. Nature can improve health in numerous ways, but it mostly does so by influencing environmental factors, bodily and mental moods, and behaviour. We also know that after participating in activities in natural settings, like zoos, children with attention deficit problems experience less severe symptoms. Last but not least, research suggests that visiting zoos might increase physical activity and reduce stress, therefore enhancing both psychological and physiological well-being.

Our predictions were that Zoo members would be highly knowledgeable about One Health and would be concerned about issues related to infectious diseases. We therefore asked respondents about their knowledge of the different One Health projects that the Zoo is involved in, their level of concern about the spread of zoonotic diseases (along with an openended follow-up question), and their understanding of the terms One Health and Conservation Medicine. Finally, we asked respondents to rate the importance, awareness, and relevance of five different roles the Zoo plays in One Health.

Conclusion

People listed poor nutrition, obesity, and bad diet as one of their top three worries. Since zoos work to combat this issue by attempting to protect pollinators like bees and bats, enhancing food security and providing a higher quality diet, this worry may be simply handled by One Health messaging. Zoos give residents access to green space, and studies have shown that spending more time in the outdoors may help to offset some of the negative health effects of urbanisation. Zoos encourage active living by pushing visitors to move about and providing access to exercise, perhaps having an impact on obesity and health care expenses. Zoos are crucial to conservation, which benefits people's long-term health, lowers healthcare expenses, and promotes healthy behaviour.