ArticleBMJ (Clinical research ed.)2017
Associations of pet ownership with biomarkers of ageing: population based cohort study.
Article in BMJ (Clinical research ed.), 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
17 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 38 citations in OpenAlex.
- Quantitative and qualitative analysis of the effects of human-animal interactions on health and well-being of older adults: an umbrella review.BMC geriatrics · 2026Pooled it
- One health considerations in veterinary palliative medicine.Veterinary and animal science · 2026Review
- Pet Ownership, Depression, Anxiety, Well-Being, and Cognitive Functioning in Older Adults: Cross-Sectional Study.JMIR formative research · 2026Article
- Factors of pet ownership associated with human health: A representative cross-sectional survey of Switzerland.PloS one · 2026Article
- Article
- Pet ownership and risk of depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Annals of general psychiatry · 2025Article
- Cognitive mechanisms and neurological foundations of companion animals' role in enhancing human psychological well-being.Frontiers in psychology · 2024Review
- Pet Ownership, Living Alone, and Cognitive Decline Among Adults 50 Years and Older.JAMA network open · 2023Article
- Pet Ownership and Quality of Life: A Systematic Review of the Literature.Veterinary sciences · 2021Review
- A simulation study of regression approaches for estimating risk ratios in the presence of multiple confounders.Emerging themes in epidemiology · 2021Article
- Dog-related activities and human well-being in Brazilian dog owners: A framework and cross-cultural comparison with a British study.Science progress · 2021Article
- Depression, anxiety, and happiness in dog owners and potential dog owners during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.PloS one · 2021Article
- A framework for understanding how activities associated with dog ownership relate to human well-being.Scientific reports · 2020Article
- Dog and Cat Ownership Predicts Adolescents' Mental Well-Being: A Population-Based Longitudinal Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020Article
- Pet Ownership Patterns and Successful Aging Outcomes in Community Dwelling Older Adults.Frontiers in veterinary science · 2020Article
- Evidence of large genetic influences on dog ownership in the Swedish Twin Registry has implications for understanding domestication and health associations.Scientific reports · 2019Article
- Human-Animal Interaction Research: Progress and Possibilities.Frontiers in psychology · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveTo examine the prospective relation between animal companionship and biomarkers of ageing in older people.
designAnalyses of data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, an ongoing, open, prospective cohort study initiated in 2002-03.
settingNationally representative study from England.
participants8785 adults (55% women) with a mean age of 67 years (SD 9) at pet ownership assessment in 2010-11 (wave 5).
main outcome measureEstablished biomarkers of ageing in the domains of physical, immunological, and psychological function, as assessed in 2012-13 (wave 6).
resultsOne third of study members reported pet ownership: 1619 (18%) owned a dog, 1077 (12%) a cat, and 274 (3%) another animal. After adjustment for a range of covariates, there was no evidence of a clear association of any type of pet ownership with walking speed, lung function, chair rise time, grip strength, leg raises, balance, three markers of systemic inflammation, memory, or depressive symptoms.
conclusionIn this population of older adults, the companionship of creatures great and small seems to essentially confer no relation with standard ageing phenotypes.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.