Role of companion animals in promoting physical activity and positive health outcomes

The role of exercise in promoting positive health outcomes is complex. Unfortunately, many large population-based surveys have neglected the role of a household-specific promoter of physical activity, specifically ownership of companion animals. Foundational research in human-animal interaction from the 1980s has indicated that individuals who owned dogs exhibited improved survival 1-year after heart surgery compared to individuals who did not own dogs. This may have been due to a variety of factors including increased physical activity, improved socialization facilitated by the dog, and possible decreased feelings of loneliness due to the presence of the companion animal. I believe that ownership of companion animals, mainly dogs, promotes light to moderate exercise and increases social interaction by requiring dog owners to walk their animals outdoors. I use public data from the 2003 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) to examine the association between companion animal ownership and a variety of health outcomes, including but not limited to heart disease, diabetes, and a variety of cancer outcomes. This analysis provides evidence for the relationship between human-dog interaction and self-reported disease outcomes, using a population-based sample of California adults with diverse socio-demographic and geographical backgrounds.