Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37325330›Full record

SynthesisFrontiers in public health2023

Pet's influence on humans' daily physical activity and mental health: a meta-analysis.

Catarina F Martins, Jorge P Soares, António Cortinhas, Luís Silva, Luís Cardoso, Maria A Pires, Maria P Mota

Abstract readMeta-AnalysisReview
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Frontiers in public health, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 33 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
33citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

33 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Review
  4. When Gig Work Gets Ruff: The Affective Benefits of Daily Human-Animal Interactions for Mental Health.International journal of psychology : Journal international de psychologie · 2026
    Article
  5. Article
  6. The role of dog keeping in the home microbiota and its impact on children's health.Pediatric allergy and immunology : official publication of the European Society of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology · 2026
    Article
  7. Article
  8. Article
  9. Article
  10. Article
  11. Article
  12. Molecular detection and zoonotic potential ofFood and waterborne parasitology · 2026
    Article
  13. Perceived stress levels of pet and non-pet owners in Cebu, Philippines.Journal of advanced veterinary and animal research · 2026
    Article
  14. Article
  15. Article
  16. Article
  17. Observational
  18. Cats in a Cat Café: Individual Cat Behavior and Interactions with Humans.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2025
    Article
  19. Article
  20. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Catarina F MartinsResearch Centre in Sports Sciences, Health and Human Development (CIDESD), Department of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, School of Life and Environmental Sciences (ECVA), University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD), Vila Real, Portugal.
Jorge P SoaresResearch Centre in Sports Sciences, Health and Human Development (CIDESD), Department of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, School of Life and Environmental Sciences (ECVA), University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD), Vila Real, Portugal.
António CortinhasResearch Centre in Sports Sciences, Health and Human Development (CIDESD), Department of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, School of Life and Environmental Sciences (ECVA), University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD), Vila Real, Portugal.
Luís SilvaResearch Centre in Sports Sciences, Health and Human Development (CIDESD), Department of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, School of Life and Environmental Sciences (ECVA), University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD), Vila Real, Portugal.
Luís CardosoAnimal and Veterinary Research Centre (CECAV), Department of Veterinary Sciences, School of Agrarian and Veterinary Sciences, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD), Vila Real, Portugal.
Maria A PiresAnimal and Veterinary Research Centre (CECAV), Department of Veterinary Sciences, School of Agrarian and Veterinary Sciences, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD), Vila Real, Portugal.
Maria P MotaResearch Centre in Sports Sciences, Health and Human Development (CIDESD), Department of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, School of Life and Environmental Sciences (ECVA), University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD), Vila Real, Portugal.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Abstract: The benefits of the human-animal bond on owners' health and quality of life have been the focus of research in recent decades. However, the results are still inconsistent. Thus, this study aims to investigate whether the presence of a pet, compared to a control group, influences daily physical activity levels and mental health using a meta-analytic method. Methods: The PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus databases were searched for all research articles that included pets as an object of study and related mental health and quality of life variables between pet owners and non-owners until April 2022. The PRISMA 2020 checklist was used, and the Downs and Back checklist was used to assess the methodological quality of the studies. Standardized mean differences and 95% confidence intervals were used to assess the difference between a group of pet owners and non-pet owners. Results: An initial search located 11,389 studies, but only 49 studies fulfilled all requirements. Our results indicate that pets have a moderately significant positive effect on the physical activity of owners compared to non-pet owners. Among the moderating variables, the frequency of physical activity showed a highly significant effect, indicating that owners had a higher frequency of physical activity than non-owners. Moreover, our results indicate a significant impact but with a low effect size of pets on owners' mental health when compared to non-pet owners. Conclusion: Pet ownership does not seem to influence owners' mental health, but it does influence their physical activity. Specifically, owners show a higher frequency of physical activity than non-owners.

Indexed as

Mental HealthQuality of LifeAnimalsExerciseHumansOwnershipSurveys and Questionnairesactive lifestylehealthpet ownershipphysical activityquality of life

Identifiers

PMID37325330
PMCPMC10262044

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.