Dog Ownership Linked to Lower Risk of All-Cause Mortality

A⁢ recent study published in⁤ PLOS ONE has found that dog ownership is associated with a ‌lower risk of all-cause mortality. Researchers from​ the National Institute for Environmental Studies, led by Masaru Taniguchi, analyzed data from the Household, Income​ and‍ Labour Dynamics in ⁣Australia (HILDA) survey cohort to examine the relationship between pet ownership and mortality rates.

Study Findings

The study tracked data from 15,735 people who answered a ⁣questionnaire about ​pet ownership from 2018 for⁢ four ‍years⁣ and⁤ matched it ⁢with data from the National Death Index in 2022. The results showed that pet owners had a ​significantly lower odds⁢ ratio (OR) for all-cause mortality compared to⁤ non-pet owners. However, when broken down by type ⁣of pet, a significant reduction was observed only in dog owners.

*Image‌ is for ⁣illustrative purposes only.

Demographic⁤ Characteristics of Participants

The mean age of participants ​at baseline was 46.1±19.1 years, and 53.1% were women. 47.3% were married, and 16.5% were in a common-law marriage. Of the 15,735 people, 9,525 (60.5%) were pet owners, and 6,210 (39.5%) were non-pet owners.‍ By type of pet, 6,898 (43.8%) had​ dogs, 3,717 (23.6%) ‌had cats, 1,532 (9.7%) had birds, 1,203⁢ (7.7%) had fish, and 1,028 ​(6.5%) had other pets.

Physical Activity and Mortality Rates

During the four-year follow-up period, 377 of 15,735 participants (2.4%) died. The mean age at death was ⁤75.1 ⁤± 14.8 years. Among⁤ pet owners, 148 of 9,525 participants (1.6%) ‌died, while 229 of 6,210 non-pet owners (3.7%) died.⁤ Of these, 106​ were dog owners (1.5%), 63 were cat owners (1.7%), 25⁤ were bird owners (1.6%), 13 ⁢were fish owners (1.1%), and 12 ⁢were other pet​ owners (1.2%).

Logistic Regression Models

Results of ⁤logistic regression models using inverse probability of treatment weighting and propensity score matching showed that the OR for all-cause mortality among⁢ pet owners overall was ‌significantly lower (0.74) (95% CI 0.59-0.93, P = 0.010) ⁤compared with non-pet owners. However, when ​comparing pet types vs. non-pet owners the OR for all-cause mortality was significantly ‍lower in dogs (0.77, 95% CI 0.59-0.99, P = ⁢0.044).

Mechanisms Underlying the Association

Sobel tests showed a partial ⁤mediating effect of physical activity level on the relationship between dog ownership‍ and all-cause mortality. One ⁢of ‌the benefits‍ of‍ owning a dog‍ may be ‍that it helps maintain/increase physical activity levels.

Study Limitations

The study’s four-year follow-up period is shorter than in previous studies, ‍and there is no data on the‍ cause of death. Additionally, some⁢ important variables that affect psychological aspects, such as attachment to pets, were⁢ not included.