New scientific research presented in Glasgow earlier this month at the 10th International Conference on Human-Animal Interactions, reveals pet-owners visit the doctor less than non-pet owners.

It also claimed cats improve psychological and physical wellbeing of owners and dog interaction can prevent teenage juveniles re-offending.

Large-scale surveys of more than 11,000 Australians, Chinese and Germans prove pet owners enjoy better health than non-pet owners.

Over a five-year period, pet owners made 15-20 per cent fewer annual visits to the doctor than non pet-owners.

Results showed that the healthiest group - those who went to the doctor least - was that of people who continuously owned a pet. The next healthiest group was those who had obtained a pet during the study period for the first time. The least healthy groups were people who had never owned a pet, or no longer did so.

The data about pet ownership was collected from representative samples of the population in Australia and Germany in 1996 and again in 2001 and Chinese data was collected from a special purpose survey of "empty nesters" conducted in Beijing in 2002-03.

According to the German survey, pet owners averaged 11.1 visits to the doctor compared to 12 for non-pet owners in 1996. In 2001 visits decreased (despite aging) to 11 visits for pet owners whereas non-pet owners increased to 12.9 visits.

The Australia survey of 2001 showed pet owners visited the doctor 4.9 times compared with 5.6 times for non-owners.

According to Beijing's research in 2001, dog owners made on average 2 annual visits to the doctor compared to non-owners 2.4 visits in 2001.

The research of pets and human health was conducted by an international team of researchers from the University of Melbourne, Beijing Normal University and the German Institute for Economic Research.

(China Daily October 16, 2004)