#12104. Pet Caretaking and Risk of Mild Cognitive Impairment and Dementia in Older US Adults

July 2026publication date
Proposal available till 02-06-2025
4 total number of authors per manuscript0 $

The title of the journal is available only for the authors who have already paid for
Journal’s subject area:
Anthropology;
Sociology and Political Science;
Education;
Animal Science and Zoology;
Veterinary (miscellaneous);
Places in the authors’ list:
place 1place 2place 3place 4
FreeFreeFreeFree
2350 $1200 $1050 $900 $
Contract №12104.1 Contract №12104.2 Contract №12104.3 Contract №12104.4
1 place - free (for sale)
2 place - free (for sale)
3 place - free (for sale)
4 place - free (for sale)

More details about the manuscript: Science Citation Index Expanded or/and Social Sciences Citation Index
Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to compare risk factors for dementia in pet caretakers and non-pet caretakers in adults aged 50 years and older, and to examine the association between pet caretaking and conversion of normal baseline cognition to mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and conversion of baseline MCI to dementia. As age increased, the odds of pet caretaking decreased, Black participants had lower odds of pet caretaking than White participants, and those engaging in more physical activity had higher odds of pet caretaking, yet those who had diabetes and a history of smoking also had higher odds of pet caretaking. When adjusted for potentially confounding baseline factors, there was no evidence that the risk of MCI among those with normal baseline cognition or dementia among those with baseline MCI differed between pet caretakers and non-caretakers. This study provides evidence for the associations between pet caretaking with younger age, race (White), and more physical activity in older adults. However, pet caretakers had higher odds of diabetes and history of smoking, and there was no link with incident MCI or dementia. More research is warranted to determine if physically active older adults acquire pets, if pet caretaking improves physical activity, if pets are the reason why older adults with diabetes decide to own pets, and if pets affect diabetes or other health outcomes.
Keywords:
Alzheimer’s disease; dementia; exercise/physical activity; Health and Retirement Study (HRS); human–animal interaction; pets

Contacts :
0