The mental and physical health benefits of being a pet parent are no secret. But now there’s further evidence suggesting that pet parentship can be beneficial for older adults in particular.
A study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health suggests that dog parents might be healthier than both cat parents and people who don’t have any pets.
Expanding on Limited Research
Per PsyPost, study author Amy E. Albright explained that the study aimed “to extend the limited literature on the type of pets owned and depression and physical health outcomes among older adults.
“The study is unique in that it is the first to investigate the potential benefits of pet ownership in a longitudinal sample of older adults balanced by sex (male vs. female), race (white vs. Black), and geographical location (urban vs. rural residence) which allows for the investigation of whether the potential benefits of pet ownership in later life differ by these individual characteristics.”
The study was based on people 65 years old or older from a community in Alabama, recruited between in 1999. People taking part completed an in-person interview along with follow-up telephone interviews twice yearly for eight years. They completed measures on pet parentship, depression, health, and physical activity.
Per results, dog parents were more likely to report better health than non-pet parents. This was regardless of sex, race, or geographic area. Perhaps surprisingly, there were no differences in health between cat parents and those with no pets at all.
More Research Is Needed
Of course, there are limitations with the research. As participants self-reported their health, it may not be wholly accurate. And there can be many factors determining the health of older adults in particular, besides pet parentship.
And, as researchers only collected data from Alabama, it would be useful for future studies to look at people across a more broad geographic area.
However, one thing seems apparent. Being a dog parent, particularly if you’re older, looks as if it’s a net positive.
