ABSTRACT

While dogs can have a positive impact on physical and mental health, they also represent a public health risk in terms of bites and zoonotic diseases. In the specific context of Inuit villages, the role, care, and value of dogs are culturally different than in southern Canada. Furthermore, rabies is endemic to the region. Dogs are frequently kept outside, and the risk of bites and deadly attacks is higher than in southern Canada, particularly in children. Thus, reducing at-risk interactions between children and dogs through prevention programs requires a strong understanding of the unique dog–child relationship in this particular setting. This study used quantitative and qualitative research methods to examine the characteristics of interactions that put children at risk in Kuujjuaq, an Inuit village in Quebec, Canada. Data were collected using 40 observational walks, 34 semi-structured interviews, and 31 conversational interviews. Seven types of at-risk child–dog interactions were identified: showing affection to the dog, ignoring the dog, playing with the dog, running away from the dog, intervening during a dog fight, attacking the dog, and untying the dog. According to interviewees, the last four types of interaction put children’s health directly at risk. All interactions were directly observed, though rarely, except for the untying of dogs. The interview analysis identified several determinants for these at-risk interactions at the child, family, socio-situational, and macro levels. As some of these determinants are modifiable, these findings advocate for a multifaceted educational intervention that targets children, parents, dog owners, and the whole community, while respecting the particular context of Kuujjuaq. This study offers specific insights that could guide the development of a socio-culturally sensitive education program aimed at improving the relationship between children and dogs in Inuit villages and thereby reducing the incidence of dog bites.

摘要

虽然狗可以对身心健康产生积极影响，但它们在咬伤和人畜共患疾病方面也代表着公共健康风险。在因纽特人村庄的特定环境中，狗的作用、照顾和价值在文化上与加拿大南部不同。此外，狂犬病是该地区的地方病。狗经常被关在外面，被咬和致命袭击的风险高于加拿大南部，尤其是儿童。因此，通过预防计划减少儿童和狗之间有风险的互动需要对这种特定环境中独特的狗-儿童关系有深刻的了解。本研究使用定量和定性研究方法来检查加拿大魁北克因纽特人村庄 Kuujjuaq 中使儿童处于危险之中的互动特征。数据是通过 40 次观察性走访、34 次半结构化访谈和 31 次对话式访谈收集的。确定了七种有风险的儿童与狗的互动：对狗表示爱意、无视狗、与狗玩耍、逃离狗、在狗打架中进行干预、攻击狗和解开狗。据受访者称，后四种互动直接使儿童的健康处于危险之中。除了解开狗的绳索之外，所有互动都被直接观察到，尽管很少。访谈分析确定了这些在儿童、家庭、社会情境和宏观层面上的风险互动的几个决定因素。由于其中一些决定因素是可以修改的，因此这些研究结果提倡针对儿童、父母、狗主人、和整个社区，同时尊重 Kuujjuaq 的特定背景。这项研究提供了具体的见解，可以指导社会文化敏感教育计划的发展，该计划旨在改善因纽特人村庄儿童与狗之间的关系，从而减少狗咬伤的发生率。