Searching Balance: One Health and the Participation of Children in the Management of Chronic Illness

Two themes have emerged in the limited literature addressing child health from a One Health perspective. The first has been inspired by widely held societal representations of children as fragile beings who need protection. The second theme concerns the need to offer children with One Health educational pathways that might enable them to protect their own health. This literature has assumed a traditional view of childhood that neglects one of the cornerstones both One Health perspective and the new childhood studies: the need for the active participation of all those involved in the construction of health-related practices. The present study uses conceptual tools from One Health and the new childhood studies to identify the social processes that influence the construction of everyday One Health-orientated life practices and the implementation of children’s right to well-being. We apply some of these tools to empirical material from ours previous research with children with asthma Our data showed how navigating the complexities of managing a chronic illness required the ongoing pursuit of an equilibrium between individual needs, those pertaining to the illness and treatment, and environmental conditions. We discuss how children are active subject and how they sought an empowering and dynamic balance their evolving needs, the demands of illness management, and the environment.