According to a research paper published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, owning a dog can improve the well-being of seniors more than owning a cat or not having a pet at all. Therefore, dogs are considered to be the best companion for the elderly in terms of improving their health.
Many individuals find owning pets to be a fulfilling experience that brings them happiness, affection, and solace. Pet ownership has been associated with various advantages, such as improved physical and mental well-being for pet owners. Due to their need for regular walks, dog owners tend to engage in more physical activity. However, there is a dearth of research on pet ownership, particularly with regard to the elderly population, and this study aimed to fill that gap in the literature.
The aim of the recent research was to expand the current knowledge regarding the link between pet ownership and physical health and depression in elderly people. The study is distinctive in that it is the first to investigate this association in a longitudinal sample of older adults, taking into account gender, race, and geographical location. This enables an examination of whether the potential advantages of owning a pet in old age vary among these individual characteristics. Amy E. Albright and her colleagues conducted the study.
The researchers, led by Albright, used data from a group of individuals aged 65 and older who lived in a community in Alabama and were recruited between 1999 and 2001. The study excluded those who lived in nursing homes. The participants completed an initial in-person interview that lasted two hours and were then followed up with phone interviews every six months for eight years. During the study, the participants were asked about their pet ownership, depression, and self-reported health and physical activity.
The study’s findings indicated that older White individuals owned more cats and dogs than older Black individuals. Older adults who owned dogs had better health and more physical activity compared to those who did not own pets. The relationship between pet ownership and health outcomes was not influenced by sex, race, or geographic location.
The study found that dog owners had better health and physical activity levels compared to non-pet owners, but this was not necessarily due to walking their dogs, as a small percentage of participants reported walking their dogs. On the other hand, cat owners did not differ in physical activity or general health compared to non-pet owners, possibly because owning a cat involves less physical activity than owning a dog. The researchers hypothesized that cat owners may have benefited from other aspects of pet ownership, such as emotional support.
Although this study shed light on pet ownership in older age, there are some limitations to consider. For instance, the self-reported health measures used may not be entirely reliable, and the health of older adults can be influenced by many factors other than pet ownership. Moreover, the sample was drawn only from Alabama, so future studies should expand recruitment to other areas for more representative outcomes.
The research paper titled “Pet Ownership and Mental and Physical Health in Older White and Black Males and Females” was written by Amy E. Albright, Ruifeng Cui, and Rebecca S. Allen.
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