Day 18 - Would you like to take our survey?



While we love to focus our blogs on all of the fun excursions and activities that we have experienced here in Ecuador, the main reason for our study abroad is research. We have mentioned days filled with research, and I'm sure that many of you parents and grandparents have heard the program described as a health research opportunity. However,  I'm not sure that we have specifically described the purpose of our surveys.

Dr. M is specifically interested in the idea of One Health, a subtopic of global health that emphasizes the interactions between humans, animals, and the environment. Specifically, he focuses his research on the anthroponotic transmission of infectious diseases. In simple terms, he is looking at how humans can give diseases to non-human animals. Much of his research has been focused on primates in Asia, but this trip is focused on the animals in the Galápagos, such as sea lions, tortoises, and iguanas.

So why is this research so important? There is a distinct lack of literature on the impacts of tourism on this transmission of disease, and Dr. M is one of the first researchers to study it! The Galápagos bring in many tourists that come just to see and experience all of the unique wildlife, so it is a hotspot for close interactions between humans and animals.

Specifically, our survey asks questions about general risk behaviors, opinions on animals, experiences with pets/wild animals, and thoughts on the ability to transfer diseases between humans and animals. This 15-minute survey is filled with yes/no questions, Likert scales, and open-ended questions, which provide us with ample information to look for correlations in data.

So far, we have received over 400 responses and are eager to collect more data! While it is definitely a taxing and nerve-racking process, all of us have learned so much from this opportunity. We are excited to see what information we can learn from the data and we hope to educate tourists on their impact on wildlife in the meantime.

live, laugh, love, surveys

-grace + sarah☺

Comments

  1. AnonymousJuly 27, 2023 at 8:17 PM

    This is so informative and easy to read for the layperson. Great job, ladies!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousJuly 27, 2023 at 8:24 PM

    I love to see that you are answering the questions in previous blog posts.

    ReplyDelete
  3. MikeJuly 28, 2023 at 10:57 AM

    Wow great comments and very interesting - Glad to see you are doing well and keeping us up to date

    ReplyDelete

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