Health and Well-Being in Later Midlife: The Role of Companion Animals

Regina M. Bures, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), NIH
Layla Esposito, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), NIH
James Griffin, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), NIH
Sandra McCune, WALTHAM®/Mars

Family, social support and physical activity are key dimensions of healthy aging. This paper uses data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) 2011 Internet Survey and the HRS 2012 Human-Animal Interaction (HAI) module to examine the relationship between multiple health outcomes and pet ownership as well as physical activity associated with pet ownership (e.g., dog walking). The HRS is the first nationally representative survey in the United States to include measures of human-animal interaction in this detail. Family structure and companion animal ownership will be used to predict self-rated mental and physical health, depression and social support. This paper will contribute to a better understanding of the relationship between companion animals and the social, physical and mental well-being of the HRS study population. In addition, this paper seeks to encourage other researchers in the US to include measures of human-animal interaction in their population-based surveys.