Pet ownership is not associated with future health, a nine year prospective study in older Australians

Objective, To examine the relationship between pet ownership and future health in older Australians. Method, A longitudinal study was conducted over 110 months in Dubbo, New South Wales, in a community-based sample of subjects 60 years and over (1,235 men and 1,570 women). There was a baseline survey of demographic, psychosocial and cardiovascular risk factors in 1988-89, with follow-up of all-causes mortality and hospitalisation. Results were modeled using multiple logistic regression. Results, At baseline, 52% of men and 42% of women owned a pet. In comparison with non-owners, older people who owned pets were younger and more likely to be married, yet they were less likely to live alone or use blood pressure medication. Among women only, pet owners had a greater peak expiratory flow volume than non-owners and were less likely to have physical disability. After controlling for the confounding effects of age and other factors likely to influence mortality, there was no significant relationship between pet ownership and all-causes mortality in either sex (odds ratio [95% confidence interval] in men 1.02 [0.75-137], in women 1.27 [0.93-1.75]). Pet ownership was associated with reduced risk of a hospitalisation in women (odds ratio 0.72 [0.54-0.96]). Conclusions, Pet ownership in older subjects is not associated with all-causes mortality. Female owners have a slightly reduced risk of hospitalisation.