Research in Human-Animal Interaction
Animals in Our Lives
Human–Animal Interaction in Family, Community, and Therapeutic Settings
By Peggy McCardle, Ph.D., Sandra McCune, Ph.D., James A. Griffin, Ph.D., Layla Esposito, Ph.D., & Lisa Freund, Ph.D.
What do we know about the benefits of human-animal interaction (HAI)—and what future research needs to be done to ensure high-quality, evidence-based practices? Find out in this book, a resource that presents the latest research on the positive effects of animal therapies and interactions on child health and development.
Gathering contributions from the leading experts in the HAI field, this state-of-the-art research volume is essential for anyone interested in the impact animals have on child development, whether through interaction with pets or through more formal interventions like therapeutic horseback riding or assistance dogs. Program administrators, researchers, and practitioners will explore the current evidence on
To help them shape the future of the emerging HAI field, readers will examine the fundamental principles of evidence-based practice, learn how to meet the challenges of designing and sustaining HAI research, and get a framework to use as a starting point for new research studies.
Whether used as a text or as a reference for researchers and decision makers (or as a source of information for pet owners and parents), this book will help readers take the first important steps toward ethical, evidence-based HAI practices that really improve child outcomes.
With contributions by
Animals in Our Lives
Human–Animal Interaction in Family, Community & Therapeutic Settings
By Peggy McCardle, Ph.D., Sandra McCune, Ph.D., James A. Griffin, Ph.D., Layla Esposito, Ph.D., and Lisa Freund, Ph.D.
What do we know about the benefits of human–animal interaction (HAI)—and what future research needs to be done to ensure high-quality, evidence-based practices? Find out in this book, a resource that presents the latest research on the positive effects of animal therapies and interactions on child health and development.
Gathering contributions from the leading experts in the HAI field, this state-of-the-art research volume is essential for anyone interested in the impact animals have on child development, whether through interaction with pets or through more formal interventions like therapeutic horseback riding or assistance dogs.
New Release: October 15, 2010
How Animals Affect Us
Examining the Influence of Human-Animal Interaction on Child Development and Human Health
Edited by Peggy McCardle, Sandra McCune,
James A. Griffin, and Valerie Maholmes
2nd February 2010
While the beneficial effects of resident or visiting pets in aged care facilities has been the subject of research for quite some time (see here, here, here), Oscar the cat has a new and somewhat curious talent.
He has accurately predicted the death of elderly residents in his nursing home 50 times in a 5 year period.
Read more here
Explore www.anthrozoology.org for more on how animals affect the lives of people.
Today in America most households include a dog, cat, or other pet, and many classrooms are homes to fish, hamsters, gerbils and birds. While there is growing evidence of the health benefits of pet ownership in adulthood, there is comparatively little research on the role these companion animals play in the growth, health and development of children and how the power of this relationship can be employed in therapeutic settings.
In order to promote research in this area, the National Institutes of Health's Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and The Waltham Centre for Pet Nutrition, a division of Mars, Inc., sponsored a workshop in October, 2008, entitled: "Directions in Human-Animal Interaction Research: Child Development, Health and Therapeutic Interventions." More than 40 of the world's leading scientists in the field of Human-Animal Interaction (HAI) and related disciplines met to review current research and identify key topics for further investigation. This was the first workshop on HAI research held at NIH in more than 20 years, and the first to focus exclusively on the role of pets in childhood and adolescence.
The researchers reviewed the results of recent HAI studies reporting associations between pet ownership and better mental and physical health, but many of these studies have been small and based on anecdotes or case studies, and most have focused primarily on adults.
Therapeutic interventions involving children and animals have become more common in schools, clinics and programs for troubled youth, but the evidence for their effectiveness is lacking, underscoring the urgent need for rigorous research, scientists say.
"It's generally assumed that pets play an important role in the everyday lives of children," says Peggy McCardle, Ph.D., MPH, chief of the Child Development and Behavior Branch at NICHD. "However, relatively few studies have been conducted to examine this relationship and how companion animals may influence children's physical and emotional growth and development."
Challenges include funding for long-term studies, standardization of the investigative tools and measurements, and the need for an approach that involves clinicians and researchers from a variety of disciplines.
"This field has been developing for more than 40 years,'' says Sandra McCune, V.N., Ph.D., an animal behaviorist at the Waltham Centre in Leicestershire, England. "It's an area that is ready for investment,'' McCune says. "Carefully designed scientific studies can bring greater credibility to this field, so that questions about the potential benefits of children's interaction with animals can be answered based on reliable data and scientific findings."
"This workshop has given us the opportunity to review what we know about the interaction of pets and children and their health and development, and provides clear priorities for future research,'' says Cathie Woteki, Ph.D., Mars Global Director of Scientific Affairs.
The NICHD and Mars' Waltham Centre have entered into a formal Public-Private Partnership to encourage research on HAI, especially as it relates to child development, health and the therapeutic use of animals with children and adolescents.
The NIH, the U.S.'s medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary federal agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. The NICHD sponsors research on development, before and after birth; maternal, child, and family health; reproductive biology and population issues; and medical rehabilitation.
Mars, the world's largest producer of pet food, has long conducted research on the nutritional needs of animals and more broadly in the area of Human-Animal Interaction.
Additional information about the workshop can be found at: www.anthrozoology.org/HAIworkshop
Additional information about NICHD can be found at:
http://www.nichd.nih.gov/
Additional information about the Waltham Centre can be found at:
http://www.waltham.com/
Additional information about Mars Inc. can be found at:
http://www.mars.com/global/home.htm
30 November 2007
Research from Deakin University, presented at today's People, Pets and Planning conference, shows that the mothers and children in families with dogs spend significantly more time exercising than those in families without dogs.
"Dog ownership has been shown to be associated with increased levels of walking in adults, but until now less had been known about the association with physical activity and children," says researcher Dr Jo Salmon from the School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences.
"This latest research clearly shows that children and mothers in families who own a dog spend significantly more time exercising than those without a dog. Our findings include:
"We believe the reasons for the increase in physical exercise among families where there is a dog may include the social interaction and sense of safety people feel in being out with their dog," says Dr Salmon.
"Australia has one of the highest rates of pet ownership in the world and many people walk their dog regularly. Yet it is becoming harder to walk dogs because of the increasing restrictions that are placed on pets in public open space," says town planner Ms Virginia Jackson, who also presented at the conference.
"It is relatively easy for local authorities to integrate pets into the community, thereby reinforcing the benefits communities and individuals experience from pet ownership. Town planning now provides for a range of community needs and it is important that we do not marginalise pet ownership," says Ms Jackson.
Other presenters at the conference included:
Dr Lisa Wood a research fellow with 17 years experience, who reported on the role pets play in connecting people to their neighbourhoods.
Associate Professor Mardie Townsend, who presented the findings of her research into the health benefits gained when humans spend time with animals in natural settings.
PhD candidate Lauren Prosser who discussed the health and well-being impacts of a visiting companion animal program in a hospital environment.
Fay Gravenall, from the Eltham Recreational Walkers Group who presented on the importance of mixed-use recreational facilities, including parks and walking tracks.
Children from pet owning families have less school absenteeism through illness, and are more likely to have normal levels of immune function then children from non-owning families. A new study helps dispel myths about pets, hygiene and children.
Recent medical research has suggested that babies born into pet owning families may derive health benefits through 'priming', via exposure, of the infant's developing immune system. Several studies attest to reductions in risks for developing asthma and other allergies in children brought up with animals in the family home.
A new study by Dr June McNicholas from the University of Warwick in the UK sought to investigate whether children of pet-owning families are more or less 'healthy' than children of non-pet owning families by examining any discernible differences in levels of salivary immunoglobulin A (slgA) between children of pet owning and non-pet owning households. Salivary immunoglobulin A was selected because of its ease of collection and because it is regarded as an indicator of immune function. 'Health' was also measured in behavioural terms through percentage attendance at school.
Subjects were 265 children aged between 5 and 11 years of age, recruited from three schools in England and Scotland. Pet ownership ranged from 23% in one English school to 39% in one Scottish school. Mean pet ownership rates amongst subjects were approx 30%. Non-pet ownership was not, as far as could be ascertained, due to existing health problem in the families.
Saliva samples were taken from all the children at mid-term for each of the three school terms. These were analysed for levels of slgA and pet owners were compared with non-pet owners on slgA levels and percentage school attendance.
It was found that pet ownership was significantly associated with better attendance rates across all primary/junior classes at school in one Warwickshire school, but was especially evident in lower school classes (ages 5-8 years). Translated into school attendance this difference was up to 18 half-days more school attendance for children aged 7-8 years.
In the other schools, pet ownership was also associated with higher levels of school attendance. Although the number of children achieving 100% attendance was similar amongst pet owners and non-owners, absenteeism through illness was significantly less amongst pet owning children, with children in the first two year levels having 18% and 13% better attendance respectively than non-pet owning children. This amounts to up to 3 weeks extra school attendance in pet owning children aged 5 to 7 years. There was some variation in attendance rates between winter, spring and summer terms, but overall pet owning children maintained higher levels of school attendance throughout the year.
Examination of salivary immunologobulin levels (slgA) suggests that levels found in pet owning children were more likely to be within normal ranges at all times of testing than were those from non-pet owning children whose levels showed significantly more variability below and above normal range of function.
It appears that the presence of pets in the home has some regulatory or stabilizing influence on the immune functioning of children.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007.
A new study shows dog owners are seven times more likely to achieve the recommended level of exercise a week than non-dog owners.
The research is part of a study on "Dogs and Physical Activity", being conducted at the University of Western Australia (UWA).
The study surveyed more than more than 1,800 people in Perth.
Study author Hayley Cutt says dog owners in the study exercised 55 more minutes a week on average than those without a canine pet.
"The findings of the study show that there's a clear benefit of owning a dog and that it encourages you to be more physically active and get out there each day and go for a walk with your dog," she said.
by Daniel Bardsley, Staff Reporter, gulfnews.com
Dubai: Dog and cat owners in the United Arab Emirates have hailed research that shows that having a four-legged friend is good for your health.
Researchers in Northern Ireland have found that people who own dogs on average have lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
Cat owners too are healthier than those without pets, the study from Queen's University, Belfast, found, although the effect is not as strong as with dogs.
Dr Martin Wyness, who runs the British Veterinary Centre in Abu Dhabi, said there were many health benefits linked to pet ownership, among them lower levels of gastrointestinal disease and various allergies.
In addition, he said children brought up with pets could be less likely to suffer from asthma and hay fever.
"If children are exposed to animals or outside dirt, the immune system develops more normally and is stronger. It doesn't respond inappropriately," he said.
As the authors of the research have suggested, Wyness said it was likely that having a dog was particularly beneficial for health because of the need to take the animal for a walk.
He added: "Cat owners have benefits too. Having a cat or dog can have a very real effect on blood pressure."
Jackie Ratcliffe, chairwoman of Dubai-based dog rescue organisation K9 Friends, said she was not surprised to hear of the findings, which were published in the British Journal of Health Psychology.
"This is why you have 'pat dogs' in hospitals and old people's homes -stroking a dog relaxes you," said Ratcliffe, who has five pet dogs of her own.
"People can stress you out because of their backstabbing and complaining, but with a dog you don't have that. They love you whatever the situation."
Cat owner Cristina Dockx, who helps to run Muezza's Feline Friends, a Sharjah-based cat welfare group, said she too had no doubts about the benefits of pet ownership.
"People who care for dogs and cats have a tendency to relax more, forget about their worries and focus on something else.
"The good thing is that there is serious research done on this - it is not just someone sitting on their sofa observing their friends," she said.
She said pet owners 'create a bond' with their animals and that the animals in turn are good at reading the mood of their owners.
"My cat, when I am stressed or when I cry, will come and lick the tears from my eyes," she said.