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Cat and Dog Ownership in Early Life and Infant Development: A Prospective Birth Cohort Study of Japan Environment and Children’s Study

Author

Listed:
  • Machiko Minatoya

    (Hokkaido University Center for Environmental and Health Sciences, Sapporo 060-0812, Japan
    Hokkaido University Faculty of Health Sciences, Sapporo 060-0812, Japan)

  • Atsuko Araki

    (Hokkaido University Center for Environmental and Health Sciences, Sapporo 060-0812, Japan)

  • Chihiro Miyashita

    (Hokkaido University Center for Environmental and Health Sciences, Sapporo 060-0812, Japan)

  • Sachiko Itoh

    (Hokkaido University Center for Environmental and Health Sciences, Sapporo 060-0812, Japan)

  • Sumitaka Kobayashi

    (Hokkaido University Center for Environmental and Health Sciences, Sapporo 060-0812, Japan)

  • Keiko Yamazaki

    (Hokkaido University Center for Environmental and Health Sciences, Sapporo 060-0812, Japan)

  • Yu Ait Bamai

    (Hokkaido University Center for Environmental and Health Sciences, Sapporo 060-0812, Japan)

  • Yasuaki Saijyo

    (Department of Social Medicine, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa 078-8510, Japan)

  • Yoshiya Ito

    (Faculty of Nursing, Japanese Red Cross Hokkaido College of Nursing, Kitami 090-0011, Japan)

  • Reiko Kishi

    (Hokkaido University Center for Environmental and Health Sciences, Sapporo 060-0812, Japan)

  • The Japan Environment and Children’s Study Group

    (A complete list of the centres and investigators in the Japan Environment and Children’s Study Group is provided in Appendix A.)

Abstract

Contact with companion animals has been suggested to have important roles in enhancing child development. However, studies focused on child development and pet ownership at a very early age are limited. The purpose of the current study was to investigate child development in relation to pet ownership at an early age in a nationwide prospective birth cohort study: the Japan Environment and Children’s Study. Associations between cat and dog ownership at six months and infant development at 12 months of age were examined in this study. Infant development was assessed using the Ages & Stages Questionnaires TM (ASQ-3) at 12 months. Among participants of (Japan Environment and Children’s Study) JECS, those with available data of cat and dog ownership at six months and data for the ASQ-3 at 12 months were included ( n = 78,868). Having dogs showed higher percentages of pass in all five domains measured by ASQ-3 (communication, gross motor, fine motor, problem-solving, and personal-social) compared to those who did not have dogs. Significantly decreased odds ratios (ORs) of developmental delays were observed in association with having dogs in all fix domains (communication: OR = 0.73, gross motor: OR = 0.86, fine motor: OR = 0.84, problem-solving: OR = 0.90, personal-social: OR = 0.83). This study suggested that early life dog ownership may reduce the risks of child developmental delays.

Suggested Citation

  • Machiko Minatoya & Atsuko Araki & Chihiro Miyashita & Sachiko Itoh & Sumitaka Kobayashi & Keiko Yamazaki & Yu Ait Bamai & Yasuaki Saijyo & Yoshiya Ito & Reiko Kishi & The Japan Environment and Childre, 2019. "Cat and Dog Ownership in Early Life and Infant Development: A Prospective Birth Cohort Study of Japan Environment and Children’s Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(1), pages 1-11, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2019:i:1:p:205-:d:302582
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Dilek Tunçay Elmacı & Sibel Cevizci, 2015. "Dog-Assisted Therapies and Activities in Rehabilitation of Children with Cerebral Palsy and Physical and Mental Disabilities," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-15, May.
    2. Rebecca Purewal & Robert Christley & Katarzyna Kordas & Carol Joinson & Kerstin Meints & Nancy Gee & Carri Westgarth, 2017. "Companion Animals and Child/Adolescent Development: A Systematic Review of the Evidence," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(3), pages 1-25, February.
    3. Rikako Sato & Takeo Fujiwara & Shiho Kino & Nobutoshi Nawa & Ichiro Kawachi, 2019. "Pet Ownership and Children’s Emotional Expression: Propensity Score-Matched Analysis of Longitudinal Data from Japan," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(5), pages 1-12, March.
    4. Carri Westgarth & Jon Heron & Andy R. Ness & Peter Bundred & Rosalind M. Gaskell & Karen P. Coyne & Alexander J. German & Sandra McCune & Susan Dawson, 2010. "Family Pet Ownership during Childhood: Findings from a UK Birth Cohort and Implications for Public Health Research," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 7(10), pages 1-26, October.
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    Cited by:

    1. Machiko Minatoya & Atsuko Ikeda-Araki & Chihiro Miyashita & Sachiko Itoh & Sumitaka Kobayashi & Keiko Yamazaki & Yu Ait Bamai & Yasuaki Saijo & Yukihiro Sato & Yoshiya Ito & Reiko Kishi & The Japan En, 2021. "Association between Early Life Child Development and Family Dog Ownership: A Prospective Birth Cohort Study of the Japan Environment and Children’s Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(13), pages 1-14, July.
    2. Kenta Matsumura & Kei Hamazaki & Akiko Tsuchida & Hidekuni Inadera & The Japan Environment and Children’s Study (JECS) Group, 2021. "House Dust Avoidance during Pregnancy and Subsequent Infant Development: The Japan Environment and Children’s Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(8), pages 1-12, April.
    3. Cristina Canova & Anna Cantarutti, 2020. "Population-Based Birth Cohort Studies in Epidemiology," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(15), pages 1-6, July.

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