Pet Dogs and Children's Health: Opportunities for Chronic Disease Prevention?

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Anne M Gadomski1, Melissa B Scribani2, Nicole Krupa2

  • 1Research Institute, Bassett Medical Center, One Atwell Road, Cooperstown, NY 13326. |

Preventing Chronic Disease
|November 26, 2015
PubMed

Insights

Having a pet dog in the home is linked to lower childhood anxiety. This study found children with dogs had less anxiety, though weight and activity were similar. Further research is needed to confirm causality.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Health
  • Child Psychology
  • Animal-Assisted Interventions

Background:

  • Limited research exists on pet dog benefits for children's health.
  • Previous studies show positive associations between pet ownership and adult health.
  • This study addresses the gap in understanding pet dogs' impact on child well-being.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between pet dogs and healthy weight in children.
  • To examine the relationship between pet dogs and children's mental health, specifically anxiety.
  • To test the hypothesis that pet dogs positively influence child health outcomes.

Main Methods:

  • Cross-sectional study of 643 children (mean age 6.7 years) in a pediatric primary care setting.
  • Parents completed a web-based health risk screener (DartScreen) for children aged 4-10.
  • Screener assessed child BMI, physical activity, screen time, mental health, and pet ownership.

Main Results:

  • No significant differences in BMI, screen time, or physical activity between children with and without dogs.
  • Children with pet dogs showed a significantly lower prevalence of anxiety symptoms (12% vs. 21%, P = .002).
  • The mean anxiety score (SCARED-5) was lower in children with dogs (1.13 vs. 1.40, P = .01), even after multivariate analysis.

Conclusions:

  • Pet dog ownership is associated with a reduced likelihood of childhood anxiety.
  • The findings suggest a potential protective effect of dogs on children's mental health.
  • Further research is required to establish causality and understand the mechanisms involved.
Abstract

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