One Health Approaches to Animal Chronic Disease Prevention and Eco-sustainable Management

Traditionally, One Health focused primarily on infectious diseases at the animal–human–environment interface; however, the rising burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in both animals and humans, and their complex interactions with environmental and agricultural systems, underscore the importance of expanding One Health to include NCDs. Contemporary research reveals that intensive livestock production, substandard animal welfare, and unsustainable veterinary practices are contributing not only to environmental pollution and biodiversity loss, but also to adverse health outcomes such as metabolic, respiratory, and neurodegenerative diseases across species. Recent studies highlight that changes in animal nutrition, antimicrobial stewardship, and veterinary-led sustainability initiatives can profoundly influence food safety, zoonotic risks, and environmental resilience. Despite advances, significant gaps remain in fully understanding the veterinary-mediated pathways that connect animal system management to NCD risk in both animals and humans, as well as the structural and regulatory barriers that limit integrated prevention strategies.

This Research Topic aims to foster a comprehensive understanding of how veterinary science can actively drive the prevention and management of NCDs within a One Health framework. The main objective is to elucidate and operationalize core veterinary One Health principles for NCD mitigation by mapping how animal health, welfare, production systems, and veterinary interventions influence ecosystem and public health outcomes. Key research questions include: How do veterinary care, herd health regimens, and animal nutrition intersect with environmental health and chronic disease risks? What are the translational opportunities for comparative medicine and animal models in understanding human NCDs? How can veterinary-public health collaborations be leveraged to advance surveillance, intervention, and education for chronic disease prevention? Furthermore, this topic seeks to identify innovative veterinary-led approaches to sustainable livestock, responsible pharmaceutical use, and animal-centered rehabilitation, with attention to social, economic, and environmental equity.

This Research Topic is limited to research focusing on veterinary contributions to One Health strategies for NCDs, including comparative, translational, and population-level studies across animal and human health sectors. To gather further insights in this area, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:

- Sustainable livestock production systems and their impact on downstream NCD risk factors in animals and humans
- Veterinary interventions that promote animal welfare and contribute to nutrient-dense, ecologically responsible food systems
- Stewardship in veterinary prescribing and its effect on chemical and antimicrobial exposure in shared environments
- The role of veterinary medicine in managing microbiomes across species and implications for chronic disease
- Adaptations in veterinary practice to address climate change, food security, and associated NCD vulnerabilities
- Barriers to integrating veterinary One Health in health and agricultural policies, and opportunities for multi-sectoral collaboration and capacity building

We invite reviews, original research articles, systematic and narrative analyses, evaluations of veterinary-led interventions, and models for collaboration, surveillance, and early intervention. Case studies should specify the One Health dimensions integrated, mechanisms and outcomes of integration, and considerations for sustainability and scalability.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Community Case Study
• Conceptual Analysis
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Community Case Study
• Conceptual Analysis
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), Chronic Disease Prevention, Veterinary One Health, Animal health, Sustainable livestock systems, Comparative medicine, Animal welfare, Environmental health, Veterinary public health, Ecosystem resilience, Antimicrobial stewardship, Integrated disease management, Translational research, Food safety, Microbiome management, Climate change adaptation, Cross-species health, Regenerative veterinary medicine

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.