Is There Always a Negative Causality between Human Health and Environmental Degradation? Current Evidence from Rural China

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Aug 24;19(17):10561. doi: 10.3390/ijerph191710561.

Abstract

This study explores the incidence and trend of zoonoses in China and its relationship with environmental health and proposes suggestions for promoting the long-term sustainable development of human, animal, and environmental systems. The incidence of malaria was selected as the dependent variable, and the consumption of agricultural diesel oil and pesticides and investment in lavatory sanitation improvement in rural areas were selected as independent variables according to the characteristics of nonpoint source pollution and domestic pollution in China's rural areas. By employing a fixed effects regression model, the results indicated that the use of pesticides was negatively associated with the incidence of malaria, continuous investment in rural toilet improvement, and an increase in economic income can play a positive role in the prevention and control of malaria incidence. Guided by the theory of One Health, this study verifies human, animal, and environmental health as a combination of mutual restriction and influence, discusses the complex causal relationship among the three, and provides evidence for sustainable development and integrated governance.

Keywords: One Health; environmental health; integrated governance; sustainable development; zoonosis.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Agriculture
  • Animals
  • China / epidemiology
  • Economic Development
  • Environmental Pollution*
  • Humans
  • Pesticides*
  • Sanitation

Substances

  • Pesticides

Grants and funding

This research was funded by [the Scientific research project of Hunan Education Department] grant number [20B300].