Study says dog-contact babies healthier
Source: Agencies |
July 11, 2012, Wednesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
DOGS are no longer just man's best friend - the furry family members may also protect infants against breathing problems and infections, according to a European study.
Researchers, whose report appeared in the journal Pediatrics, found that Finnish babies who lived with a dog - or, to a lesser extent, a cat - spent fewer weeks with ear infections, coughs or runny noses. They were also less likely to need antibiotics than infants in pet-free homes.
"These results suggest that dog contacts may have a protective effect on respiratory tract infections during the first year of life," wrote the study's lead author, Eija Bergroth, and colleagues at Kuopio University Hospital in Finland. "Our findings support the theory that during the first year of life, animal contacts are important, possibly leading to better resistance to infectious respiratory illnesses during childhood."
The researchers studied 397 infants who were born at their hospital between September 2002 and May 2005 for their first year. Parents filled out weekly diaries starting when the child was nine weeks old, recording information on the babies' health as well as their contact with cats and dogs.
Based on those diaries and a year-end questionnaire, the researchers determined that 35 percent of the children spent the majority of their first year with a pet dog and 24 percent in a home with a cat.
Before their first birthday, 285 of the babies had at least one fever, 157 had an ear infection, 335 had a cough, 128 wheezed, 284 got stuffy or runny noses and 189 needed to take antibiotics at some point, parents reported.
The researchers found that contact with dogs, more than cats, was tied to fewer weeks of sickness for babies.
Researchers, whose report appeared in the journal Pediatrics, found that Finnish babies who lived with a dog - or, to a lesser extent, a cat - spent fewer weeks with ear infections, coughs or runny noses. They were also less likely to need antibiotics than infants in pet-free homes.
"These results suggest that dog contacts may have a protective effect on respiratory tract infections during the first year of life," wrote the study's lead author, Eija Bergroth, and colleagues at Kuopio University Hospital in Finland. "Our findings support the theory that during the first year of life, animal contacts are important, possibly leading to better resistance to infectious respiratory illnesses during childhood."
The researchers studied 397 infants who were born at their hospital between September 2002 and May 2005 for their first year. Parents filled out weekly diaries starting when the child was nine weeks old, recording information on the babies' health as well as their contact with cats and dogs.
Based on those diaries and a year-end questionnaire, the researchers determined that 35 percent of the children spent the majority of their first year with a pet dog and 24 percent in a home with a cat.
Before their first birthday, 285 of the babies had at least one fever, 157 had an ear infection, 335 had a cough, 128 wheezed, 284 got stuffy or runny noses and 189 needed to take antibiotics at some point, parents reported.
The researchers found that contact with dogs, more than cats, was tied to fewer weeks of sickness for babies.
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