Pet ownership and human health: a brief review of evidence and issues

doi:10.1136/bmj.331.7527.1252

BMJ 2005;331:1252-1254 (26 November), doi:10.1136/bmj.331.7527.1252

Education and debate

Pet ownership and human health: a brief review of evidence and issues

June McNicholas, psychologist¹, Andrew Gilbey, lecturer², Ann Rennie, general practitioner³, Sam Ahmedzai, professor of palliative medicine⁴, Jo-Ann Dono, director³, Elizabeth Ormerod, veterinary surgeon³

¹ Croit Cullach, Durnamuck, Dundonnell, Ross-shire, ² Massey University, New Zealand, ³ Society for Companion Animal Studies, Blue Cross, Burford, Oxon, ⁴ Royal Hallamshire Hospital, University of Sheffield

Correspondence to: J McNicholas june@cullach.fsnet.co.uk

Research into the association between pet ownership and humanhealth has produced intriguing, although frequently contradictory,results often raising uncertainty as to whether pet ownershipis advisable on health grounds

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Introduction

The question of whether someone should own a pet is never assimple as whether that pet has a measurably beneficial or detrimentaleffect on the owner's physical health. The emotional bond betweenowner and pet can be as intense as that in many human relationshipsand may confer similar psychological benefits. Death of a petcan cause grief similar to that in human bereavement, whereasthreat of loss of a pet may be met with blunt refusal and non-compliancewith advice on health.

We examine the current evidence for a link between pet ownershipand human health and discuss the importance of understandingthe role of pets in people's lives.

Is pet ownership associated with human health?

Research dating from the 1980s popularised the view that petownership could have positive benefits on human health. Benefitsranged from higher survival rates from myocardial infarction¹;a significantly lower use of general practitioner services (promptingsome researchers . . . [Full text of this article]

Do we need a broader definition of health?

The value of companionship

Why pet ownership should be taken seriously

CiteULike

Complore

Connotea

Del.icio.us Add to Digg

Digg

Technorati What's this?

Relevant Articles

How pets influence owners' health
BMJ 2005 331: 0. [Full Text]

One medicine?: Graham Easton and Martin Alder
BMJ 2005 331: 0. [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Pets—pleasures and problems: Richard Mayon-White
BMJ 2005 331: 1254-1255. [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]

The human story: R Bruce Aylward and Maureen Birmingham
BMJ 2005 331: 1261-1262. [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]

This article has been cited by other articles:

Rosol, T. J., Moore, R. M., Saville, W. J.A., Oglesbee, M. J., Rush, L. J., Mathes, L. E., Lairmore, M. D. (2009). The Need for Veterinarians in Biomedical Research. jvme 36: 70-75 [Abstract] [Full text]
Rock, M., Lail, P. (2009). Could pets be of help in achieving health literacy? A media analysis demonstration study. Health Educ Res 24: 153-161 [Abstract] [Full text]
Wensley, S. P. (2008). Animal Welfare and the Human-Animal Bond: Considerations for Veterinary Faculty, Students, and Practitioners. jvme 35: 532-539 [Abstract] [Full text]
Chur-Hansen, A., Winefield, H., Beckwith, M. (2008). Reasons Given by Elderly Men and Women for Not Owning a Pet, and the Implications for Clinical Practice and Research. J Health Psychol 13: 988-995 [Abstract]
Westgarth, C., Pinchbeck, G. L., Bradshaw, J. W. S., Dawson, S., Gaskell, R. M., Christley, R. M. (2008). Dog-human and dog-dog interactions of 260 dog-owning households in a community in Cheshire. Vet Rec. 162: 436-442 [Abstract] [Full text]
Burls, A., Caan, W. (2005). Human health and nature conservation. BMJ 331: 1221-1222 [Full text]
Mayon-White, R. (2005). Pets--pleasures and problems. BMJ 331: 1254-1255 [Full text]
Aylward, R B., Birmingham, M. (2005). The human story. BMJ 331: 1261-1262 [Full text]