Association between pet ownership and physical activity levels, atopic conditions, and mental health in Singapore: a propensity score-matched analysis

Abstract

Although existing literature increasingly suggests a positive influence of pet ownership on human physical activity levels, results from many European, American, and Japanese studies have been inconsistent. How pet ownership impacts mental health and atopy is likewise controversial and whether distinct demographic subgroups experience differential effects is unclear. This cross-sectional study surveyed participants (n = 823) via a self-administered online questionnaire. Comparisons of outcomes between pet owners and non-pet owners with subgroup analyses were performed within a propensity score-matched subset (n = 566) of respondents. There were no differences in physical activity levels or mental health scores between pet owners and non-pet owners. In subgroup analyses, compared to non-pet owners, main pet caregivers reported 14.1 (95% CI 2.79–25.3) and 19.0 (95% CI 4.70–33.3) more minutes per week of moderate- and vigorous-intensity physical activity respectively and higher SF-36 emotional well-being (β = 2.7, 95% CI 0.100–5.32) and energy scores (β = 3.8, 95% CI 0.410–7.27). Age was a significant effect modifier of the association between pet ownership and emotional well-being, energy and social functioning scores, with greater scores above the ages of 39, 35 and 39 years old respectively (interaction p = 0.043, 0.044, 0.042). Finally, pet acquisition was associated with worsening of allergic rhinitis, while pet ownership cessation was associated with improvement of allergic rhinitis and eczema symptoms. To our knowledge, this is the first study addressing the public health impact of pet ownership in Southeast Asia and its findings add contextual nuance to suggest potential benefits derived from pet ownership.

Association between pet ownership and physical activity and mental health during the COVID-19 “circuit breaker” in Singapore

“…In our previous study before these measures were implemented, pet owners reported higher moderate- and vigorous-intensity physical activity levels than non-pet owners, likely attributable to caregiving- and pet-related activities [ 17 ]. The present study did not reproduce these findings.…”

“…The full questionnaire used was previously published [ 17 ]. We collected participant data on sociodemographic profile, past medical history, pet ownership and attachment levels, physical activity levels and self-perceived general and mental health.…”

“…Additionally, they motivate healthy behaviors [ 15 ] and physical activity [ 16 ] that compound the positive mental health benefits. We previously reported positive associations of pet ownership with emotional well-being and social functioning that accrue with age [ 17 ]. Such social prescription of animals for mental well-being potentially explains the increase in pet adoption [ [18] , [19] , [20] , [21] ] observed amidst the social isolation during the pandemic, as people seek ways to cope with the psychological stress brought on by reduced human interaction.…”

Demographic and contextual factors as moderators of the relationship between pet ownership and health

“…Factors such as cultural/ethnic identity, gender identity, marital and family status, socioeconomic status, and housing type all contribute to the family system, but are not consistently controlled for in studies on pet ownership (Kazdin, 2015;Purewal et al, 2017;Rodriguez, Herzog, & Gee, 2021). In fact, several studies have found that health effects associated with pet ownership were attenuated or changed when controlling for confounding variables (Goh et al, 2020;Jacobson & Chang, 2018;Marsa-Sambola et al, 2016;Miles, Parast, Babey, Griffin, & Saunders, 2017) or assessing interactions between pet ownership and demographic variables (Liu et al, 2019;Stanley et al, 2014). To inform evidence-based demographic covariates for pet ownership studies, several studies in the United Kingdom have specifically assessed the sociodemographics of pet ownership (e.g.…”

Household environmental microbiota influences early‐life eczema development

“…We postulate that lifestyle differences due to ethnic and cultural diversities may influence house dust microbiome composition. For instance, a higher proportion of Singaporean Malays are pet owners (including cats, small mammals and birds) as compared with other races (Goh et al ., 2020).…”