Monitoring of equine health in Denmark: the importance, purpose, research areas and content of a future database.
Abstract: The plentiful data on Danish horses are currently neither organized nor easily accessible, impeding register-based epidemiological studies on Danish horses. A common database could be beneficial. In principle, databases can contain a wealth of information, but no single database can serve every purpose. Hence the establishment of a Danish equine health database should be preceded by careful consideration of its purpose and content, and stakeholder attitudes should be investigated. The objectives of the present study were to identify stakeholder attitudes to the importance, purpose, research areas and content of a health database for horses in Denmark. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 13 horse-related stakeholder groups in Denmark. The groups surveyed included equine veterinarians, researchers, veterinary students, representatives from animal welfare organizations, horse owners, trainers, farriers, authority representatives, ordinary citizens, and representatives from laboratories, insurance companies, medical equipment companies and pharmaceutical companies. Supplementary attitudes were inferred from qualitative responses. The overall response rate for all stakeholder groups was 45%. Stakeholder group-specific response rates were 27-80%. Sixty-eight percent of questionnaire respondents thought a national equine health database was important. Most respondents wanted the database to contribute to improved horse health and welfare, to be used for research into durability and disease heritability, and to serve as a basis for health declarations for individual horses. The generally preferred purpose of the database was thus that it should focus on horse health and welfare rather than on performance or food safety, and that it should be able to function both at a population and an individual horse level. In conclusion, there is a positive attitude to the establishment of a health database for Danish horses. These results could enrich further reflection on the establishment of a Danish equine health database and prove useful to institutions abroad considering establishing similar databases.
Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Publication Date: 2012-11-26 PubMed ID: 23194891DOI: 10.1016/j.prevetmed.2012.10.015Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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This study focuses on the potential development and benefits of a health database for horses in Denmark. A survey was conducted among different stakeholders related to horse health and care to understand their perspective and needs for such a database.
Need for a Health Database for Horses
- The research shows that Denmark has a plethora of unorganized data on horses which is not easy to access. This lack of a structured system is an obstacle for epidemiological studies on horses in the country.
- The establishment of a unified health database can remedy this issue, but careful thought needs to be given to its purpose and content. It’s also critical to understand the perspective and requirements of various stakeholder groups related to horse care and health.
Survey Among Stakeholder Groups
- A survey was conducted among 13 horse-related stakeholder groups including equine veterinarians, researchers, veterinary students, animal welfare organizations, horse owners, trainers, farriers, representatives from authorities, citizens, laboratories, insurance and medical equipment companies, and pharmaceutical companies.
- The survey aimed to understand the stakeholder’s opinion on the importance, purpose, research areas and content of a potential health database.
- The survey achieved an overall response rate of 45% across all stakeholder groups, with specific group response rates ranging from 27-80%.
Stakeholder Attitudes & Preferences
- Overall, 68% of the respondents agreed on the importance of a national equine health database.
- Most people wanted the database to improve horse health and welfare, provide insights into durability and disease heritability, and form the basis for health declarations for individual horses.
- Consequently, the optimal purpose of the database would be to focus on horse health and welfare, rather than performance or food safety.
- It should also be versatile to function at an individual horse level as well as a broader population level.
Conclusion
- There is a positive attitude among stakeholders in Denmark towards the establishment of a health database for horses.
- The findings could be instrumental in shaping the development of a Danish equine health database and can also be valuable for foreign institutions considering similar initiatives.
Cite This Article
APA
Hartig W, Houe H, Andersen PH.
(2012).
Monitoring of equine health in Denmark: the importance, purpose, research areas and content of a future database.
Prev Vet Med, 109(1-2), 92-105.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2012.10.015 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- University of Copenhagen, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, Large Animal Sciences, Groennegaardsvej 8, 1870 Frederiksberg C, Denmark. hartig@life.ku.dk
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Attitude
- Cross-Sectional Studies
- Databases, Factual / standards
- Denmark
- Horse Diseases / epidemiology
- Horse Diseases / etiology
- Horses
- Humans
- Surveys and Questionnaires
Citations
This article has been cited 2 times.- Dugué M, Dumont Saint Priest B, Crichan H, Danvy S, Ricard A. Genomic Correlations Between the Gaits of Young Horses Measured by Accelerometry and Functional Longevity in Jumping Competition. Front Genet 2021;12:619947.
- Tapprest J, Morignat E, Dornier X, Borey M, Hendrikx P, Ferry B, Calavas D, Sala C. Fallen stock data: An essential source of information for quantitative knowledge of equine mortality in France. Equine Vet J 2017 Sep;49(5):596-602.
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