Impact of pet ownership on elderly Australians' use of medical services: an analysis using Medicare data.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether pet ownership by elderly people is associated with lower use of health services.


METHODS
Survey of physical and mental health, and retrospective 12-month review of Medicare records of the number of general practitioner and specialist services.


METHODS
Elderly people living in Canberra (Australian Capital Territory) and Queanbeyan (New South Wales), surveyed in 1994 for the second stage of a larger longitudinal study.


RESULTS
Elderly pet owners did not differ from non-owners on any of the physical or mental health measures or in use of health services.


CONCLUSIONS
Given the high use of health services by older people, our findings suggest that the claim that pet ownership leads to savings in health services should be viewed with caution.
Jorm
A F
AF
NHMRC Psychiatric Epidemiology Research Centre, Australian National University, Canberra. Anthony.Jorm@anu.edu.au
Jacomb
P A
PA
Christensen
H
H
Henderson
S
S
Korten
A E
AE
Rodgers
B
B
D000368:Aged / Q000523:psychology*; D000818:Animals; D001315:Australia; D005260:Female; D006296:Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006304:Health Status; D001841:Human-Animal Bond; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies