ArticleBMC public health2019
"They're always there": resident experiences of living with rats in a disadvantaged urban neighbourhood.
Article in BMC public health, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
18 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 53 citations in OpenAlex.
- Helminths of urban rats in developed countries: a systematic review to identify research gaps.Parasitology research · 2020Pooled it
- A mixed-methods national study assessing municipal rodent control infrastructure, surveillance capacity and disaster readiness in the United States.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Psychosocial impacts of a mouse plague and ongoing psychological stress.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Incorporating Machine Learning Techniques to Enhance Rodent Surveillance in Marginalized Urban Communities.Ecology and evolution · 2025Article
- The New South Wales Mouse Plague 2020-2021: A One Health description.One health (Amsterdam, Netherlands) · 2024Article
- Associations between Rat Infestations and Mental Health Vary by Gender, Race, and Income in Chicago.Journal of urban health : bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine · 2024Article
- Systematic surveillance tools to reduce rodent pests in disadvantaged urban areas can empower communities and improve public health.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Article
- Detection of multiple human enteropathogens in Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) from an under-resourced neighborhood of Vancouver, British Columbia.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2023Article
- Rodent activity in municipal waste collection premises in Singapore: an analysis of risk factors using mixed-effects modelling.Scientific reports · 2023Article
- Genetic characterization of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from Norway rats in Boston, Massachusetts.Veterinary medicine and science · 2023Article
- Primary care embedded within permanent supportive housing for people who use substances: A qualitative study examining healthcare access in Vancouver, Canada.Health & social care in the community · 2022Article
- Rat Infestation in Gauteng Province: Lived Experiences of Kathlehong Township Residents.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- A parasitological survey of zoonotic cestodes carried by house rats in Aswan, Egypt, reveals cryptic diversity at the molecular level.Veterinary world · 2021Article
- The effect of COVID19 pandemic restrictions on an urban rodent population.Scientific reports · 2021Article
- "I don't feel safe sitting in my own yard": Chicago resident experiences with urban rats during a COVID-19 stay-at-home order.BMC public health · 2021Article
- Using genetic relatedness to understand heterogeneous distributions of urban rat-associated pathogens.Evolutionary applications · 2021Article
- Biomarkers Potency to Monitor Non-target Fauna Poisoning by Anticoagulant Rodenticides.Frontiers in veterinary science · 2020Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe 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.
methodsSemi-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.
resultsParticipants 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.
conclusionsThis 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.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.