ArticleInternational journal of environmental research and public health2022
Pet Ownership and Mental and Physical Health in Older White and Black Males and Females.
Article in International journal of environmental research and public health, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers.
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
9 citing papers in PubMed, 21 citations in OpenAlex.
- Dog Companionship and Loneliness in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Multicentre, Cross-Sectional Study.International journal of geriatric psychiatry · 2026Article
- Pet Ownership, Depression, Anxiety, Well-Being, and Cognitive Functioning in Older Adults: Cross-Sectional Study.JMIR formative research · 2026Article
- Pet Ownership, Pet Attachment, and Longitudinal Changes in Psychological Health-Evidence from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging.Geriatrics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Exploring the Role of Cognitive Reserve and Human-Animal Interaction in Late-Life Depression: A Moderation Analysis.Geriatrics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- A Survey of the Professional Characteristics and Views of Dog Trainers in Canada.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2025Article
- Association between pet ownership and physical function at discharge in hospitalized older adults: A retrospective observational study.PloS one · 2025Observational
- Elderly and their companion animals, cause for pleasure or for harm, a case report of a non-bite Pasteurella multocida bacteremia in an 85-year-old woman with a fatal outcome.BMC geriatrics · 2023Article
- Age modifies the association between pet ownership and cardiovascular disease.Frontiers in veterinary science · 2023Article
- Pet ownership is associated with greater cognitive and brain health in a cross-sectional sample across the adult lifespan.Frontiers in aging neuroscience · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Pet ownership literature remains mixed regarding associations with mental and physical health outcomes among older adults. The present study investigates the relationship between pet ownership and depression, health, and physical activity in an older adult sample balanced by sex (male/female), race (White/Black), and urban/rural status. Participants were adults aged 65+ recruited between 1999 and 2001 in the University of Alabama at Birmingham Study of Aging. Participants completed the Geriatric Depression Scale, a single-item self-reported health measure, and a physical activity questionnaire. Dog owners reported better subjective health and were more likely to walk for exercise as compared to non-pet owners. Cat owners did not differ from non-pet owners in terms of self-reported health or walking. White participants were more likely than Black participants to report ownership of a pet. No relationships were found between pet ownership and symptoms of depression. Findings were not influenced by sex, race, or geographical location. Dog ownership may be associated with positive physical health behaviors and subjective health perceptions. Additional research focused on mechanisms and cognitive impact is needed. Although there may be physical health benefits of dog ownership, adopting a pet should not be viewed as a simplistic solution to alleviating depression in older adults.
Indexed as
Identifiers
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.