Development of a research tool leveraging theoretical frameworks to better understand One Health systems thinking among livestock farmers

Background and aim: Conventional global food systems pose challenges for all interdependent components of the One Health (OH) framework: people, animals, and the planet. The intensification of animal-source food (ASF) production has provoked negative impacts on animal welfare and planetary health. Increasing productivity fails to provide universal food security, and livestock producers face challenges to their livelihoods and well-being. Transforming mainstream ASF production is therefore critical. Livestock farmers are important actors in food systems reform, though efforts to influence their production practices should acknowledge their intrinsic and extrinsic barriers to change, in order for interventions to be effective and ethical. Previous attempts to understand farmers’ mindsets vary in approach and scope, hindering opportunities to synthesise data. Furthermore, when theoretical frameworks have been leveraged to design measurement instruments, it is not always clear if items have been accurately mapped onto theoretical constructs. Our aim was therefore to develop a holistic tool, mapped onto a comprehensive and validated theoretical underpinning, to enable researchers to better understand farmers’ mindsets regarding OH systems thinking. Methods: We used existing literature to develop a bank of 78 statements relating to either human, animal, or environmental wellbeing. Each statement was mapped onto the Capability-OpportunityMotivation-Behaviour (COM-B) model and the Theoretical Domains Framework of the Behaviour Change Wheel by four independent researchers. Inter-rater reliability was analysed, and discrepancies in mapping were resolved through discussion. The statements were then piloted and approved by ten British livestock farmers. Results: Our findings underscore the importance of robust approaches to mapping measurement instruments against theoretical frameworks to ensure comprehensiveness and representativeness. The resulting statement bank can be used to quantitatively assess farmers’ mindsets regarding interrelated components of the OH framework, using deductive Principal Component Analysis guided by COM-B components. Conclusion: This tool is proposed as a holistic, repeatable, quantitative approach to identifying intrinsic and extrinsic barriers and drivers of OH systems thinking among livestock farmers. This will inform the development of targeted interventions that support farmers in engaging with food systems reform, promoting transdisciplinary collaborations towards ethical, sustainable, and successful food systems