Aspects of health, physical/leisure activities, work and socio-demographics associated with pet ownership in Sweden
2010 (English)In: Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, ISSN 1403-4948, E-ISSN 1651-1905, Vol. 38, no 1, p. 53-63Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
Aims: The aim of the work presented here was to explore differences between pet owners and non-pet-owners concerning aspects of health, physical/leisure activities, work and socio-demographics. Methods: The study was based on nationally representative data from the Swedish population (n = 43,589). Associations between pet ownership and background variables were investigated using logistic regression analysis. Results: A total of 39,995 respondents were included in the analysis (non-pet-owners 25,006; pet owners 14,989). Pet ownership was associated with both positive and negative aspects of health, physical/leisure activities and socio-demographics. Pet owners had better general health but suffered more from mental health problems than non-pet-owners. Their leisure activities involved a greater interest in nature life and/or gardening than those of non-pet-owners. The logistic regression analysis showed that people who were self-employed, in the age range 35 to 49, of female sex, and suffering from pain in the head, neck and shoulders were more likely to own a pet than others. People physically active at a level sufficient to have a positive effect on their health more often owned a pet than people who were less active. Conclusions: Pet owners differ from non-pet-owners in aspects of socio-demographics, health, physical/leisure activities and work situation. This study, based on a general regional population in Sweden, showed differences of both a positive and a negative kind between non-pet-owners and pet owners concerning aspects of health, physical and leisure activities, and work situation.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2010. Vol. 38, no 1, p. 53-63
Keywords [en]
Cross-sectional study, health, health survey, leisure activities, pet ownership, physical activities, Sense of Coherence Scale-13
National Category
Medical and Health Sciences
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-147706DOI: 10.1177/1403494809344358ISI: 000274115900008PubMedID: 19717574OAI: oai:DiVA.org:uu-147706DiVA, id: diva2:400744
2011-02-282011-02-282017-12-11Bibliographically approved