A Systematic Review of Research on Pet Ownership and Animal Interactions among Older Adults

Gee, Nancy R.; Mueller, Megan K.

doi:10.1080/08927936.2019.1569903

Cited by 107 publications

(99 citation statements)

References 150 publications

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“…Evidence suggests that two forms of human-animal interaction, pet ownership, and animal-assisted interactions (AAI), promote each of these aspects of health at some point in the human lifespan (10). A recent meta-analysis documented that the strongest evidence of benefits of HAI for older adults is from studies of AAIs (8). Animal-assisted therapy or the less structured animal-assisted activities may prevent or reduce depression, loneliness, and anxiety and optimize psychological health as well as encourage physical activity and promote physical and cognitive function (10)(11)(12)(13)(14).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Pet Ownership Patterns and Successful Aging Outcomes in Community Dwelling Older Adults

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The impact of pet ownership or regular interaction with others' pets on the health of older adults is less clear (8). Little is known about patterns of pet ownership or regular contact with others' pets in older adults.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pet Ownership Patterns and Successful Aging Outcomes in Community Dwelling Older Adults

et al. 2020

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“…There are numerous breeds of dogs and cats, which have a wide diversity of roles and are most commonly kept as companions [3,4]. The human-animal bond provides benefits with regard to mental health and physical well-being [1]. Working dogs are engaged as assistants to entertain, shepherd livestock, conduct search and rescue and detect illicit food, drugs and human trafficking [4][5][6][7].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Global Prevalence Estimates of Toxascaris leonina Infection in Dogs and Cats

et al. 2020

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Toxascaris leonina is an ascaridoid nematode of dogs and cats; this parasite affects the health of these animals. This study estimated the global prevalence of Ta. leonina infection in dogs and cats using random effects meta-analysis as well as subgroup, meta-regression and heterogeneity analyses. The data were stratified according to geographical region, the type of dogs and cats and environmental variables. A quantitative analysis of 135 published studies, involving 119,317 dogs and 25,364 cats, estimated prevalence rates of Ta. leonina in dogs and cats at 2.9% and 3.4%, respectively. Prevalence was highest in the Eastern Mediterranean region (7.2% for dogs and 10.0% for cats) and was significantly higher in stray dogs (7.0% vs. 1.5%) and stray cats (7.5% vs. 1.8%) than in pets. The findings indicate that, worldwide, ~26 million dogs and ~23 million cats are infected with Ta. leonina; these animals would shed substantial numbers of Ta. leonina eggs into the environment each year and might represent reservoirs of infection to other accidental or paratenic hosts. It is important that populations of dogs and cats as well as other canids and felids be monitored and dewormed for Ta. leonina and (other) zoonotic helminths.

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“…In a recent methodological review paper, Friedmann and Gee (2018) evaluated and discussed a variety of other HAI research approaches investigating pet ownership, brief interactions with animals, and animal-assisted activities/interventions. In their candid discussion, several limitations involved in this research are reported, some of which echo the concerns raised by others in this thematic issue (e.g., Gee & Mueller, 2019;Thorpe & Kelly-Moore, 2019). For ease of consideration and accessibility we present a consolidated list of recommendations for future research on HAI and human aging, based on the limitations and suggestions noted by the authors in this thematic issue:…”

Section: Limitations Of Previous Research Strategies and Recommendatimentioning

confidence: 82%

Future Directions for Research on Human–Animal Interaction in an Aging Population

Gee

Galik

2019

Anthrozoös

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This final paper in the thematic issue, "Human-Animal Interaction and Healthy Human Aging," highlights and distills key points from the series of papers and provides recommendations for improving and expanding Human-Animal Interaction (HAI) research into healthy human aging. This paper also focuses on translating research to practice and discussing important practical issues related to pet ownership or interaction with companion animals among older adults, and makes specific recommendations for researchers, caregivers, and professionals working with older adults. In addition to issues related to the human side of the equation, we make recommendations for protecting and insuring the health and wellbeing of the animals involved.

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A Systematic Review of Research on Pet Ownership and Animal Interactions among Older Adults

Abstract: A pdf of this paper can also be downloaded without charge. Gold Open Access sponsored by WALTHAM™.

Cited by 107 publications

References 150 publications

Pet Ownership Patterns and Successful Aging Outcomes in Community Dwelling Older Adults

Pet Ownership Patterns and Successful Aging Outcomes in Community Dwelling Older Adults

Global Prevalence Estimates of Toxascaris leonina Infection in Dogs and Cats

Future Directions for Research on Human–Animal Interaction in an Aging Population

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