Data and facts about the advantages of having dogs around elderlies & seniors.
Jump to: Disability | Dementia
Highlights
Overview
Disability
Jump to: Study from Japan
Large Scale Study on Pet Ownership and Disability
External link:
Taniguchi Y, Seino S, Headey B, Hata T, Ikeuchi T, Abe T, et al. (2022) Evidence that dog ownership protects against the onset of disability in an older community-dwelling Japanese population. PLoS ONE 17(2): e0263791. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0263791
Reduced Odds of Disability
| Disability | Disability Odds | Mortality | Mortality Odds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dog / Cat Ownership | ||||
| Never | 17.9% | 1 (Reference) | 5.6% | 1 (Reference) |
| Past | 17.1% | 0.91 | 5.0% | 0.95 |
| Current | 13.7% | 0.72* | 4.5% | 0.78 |
| Dog Ownership | ||||
| Never | 17.7% | 1 (Reference) | 5.6% | 1 (Reference) |
| Past | 16.8% | 0.87 | 4.6% | 0.83 |
| Current | 13.1% | 0.54* | 4.0% | 0.66 |
| Cat Ownership | ||||
| Never | 17.2% | 1 (Reference) | 5.2% | 1 (Reference) |
| Past | 17.7% | 1.00 | 5.5% | 1.15 |
| Current | 14.8% | 1.08 | 5.2% | 1.1 |
Odds controlled for socio-demographic variables, such as age, gender, household size, education, income, and administrative districts
* Statistically significant (p<0.05)
Research Summary | Back to Top
Dementia
Jump to: Study from Japan
Large Scale Study on Pet Ownership and Dementia
External link:
Yu Taniguchi, Satoshi Seino, Tomoko Ikeuchi, Toshiki Hata, Shoji Shinkai, Akihiko Kitamura, Yoshinori Fujiwara, Protective effects of dog ownership against the onset of disabling dementia in older community-dwelling Japanese: A longitudinal study, Preventive Medicine Reports, Volume 36, 2023, 102465, ISSN 2211-3355, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2023.102465
Benefits of Pet Ownership
| Independent variable | Incident dementia (n = 11194) | Propensity score in GEE, Odds Ratio (n = 8323 for dog ownership and n = 9579 for cat ownership) |
|---|---|---|
| Experience with dog ownership | ||
| Past and never (n = 10235, 91.4 %) | 5.1% | 1 |
| Current (n = 959, 8.6 %) | 3.6 % | 0.6 |
| Experience with cat ownership | ||
| Past and never (n = 10490, 93.7 %) | 5.0 % | 1 |
| Current (n = 704, 6.3 %) | 4.5 % | 0.98 |
Impact of Exercise Habit
| Group | Exercise Habit | Odds Ratio of Developing Dementia |
|---|---|---|
| Current Dog Owners | Regular | 0.37 |
| Current Dog Owners | No Exercise | 0.89 |
| Past/Never Dog Owners | Regular | 0.69 |
| Past/Never Dog Owners | No Exercise | 1 |
Impact of Social Isolation
| Group | Social Isolation | Odds Ratio of Developing Dementia |
|---|---|---|
| Current Dog Owners | No | 0.41 |
| Current Dog Owners | Yes | 0.43 |
| Past/Never Dog Owners | No | 0.56 |
| Past/Never Dog Owners | Yes | 1 |
Research Summary | Back to Top