Impact of pet ownership on elderly Australians' use of medical services: An analysis using Medicare data
| dc.contributor.author | Jorm, Anthony F. | en |
| dc.contributor.author | Jacomb, Patricia A. | en |
| dc.contributor.author | Christensen, Helen | en |
| dc.contributor.author | Henderson, Scott | en |
| dc.contributor.author | Korten, Ailsa E. | en |
| dc.contributor.author | Rodgers, Bryan | en |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2026-02-21T16:41:41Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2026-02-21T16:41:41Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 1997 | en |
| dc.description.abstract | Objectives: To determine whether pet ownership by elderly people is associated with lower use of health services. Design: Survey of physical and mental health, and retrospective 12-month review of Medicare records of the number of general practitioner and specialist services. Participants and Setting: Elderly people living in Canberra (Australian Capital Territory) and Queanbeyan (New South Wales), surveyed in 1994 for the second stage of a larger longitudinal study. Results: Elderly pet owners did not differ from non-owners on any of the physical or mental health measures or in use of health services. Conclusion: Given the high use of health services by older people, our findings suggest that the claim that pet ownership leads to savings in health services should be viewed with caution. | en |
| dc.description.status | Peer-reviewed | en |
| dc.format.extent | 2 | en |
| dc.identifier.issn | 0025-729X | en |
| dc.identifier.other | PubMed:9137285 | en |
| dc.identifier.other | ORCID:/0000-0002-2863-3737/work/206119286 | en |
| dc.identifier.scopus | 0031002986 | en |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/1885/733805739 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | en |
| dc.rights | ©1997 The authors | en |
| dc.source | Medical Journal of Australia | en |
| dc.title | Impact of pet ownership on elderly Australians' use of medical services: An analysis using Medicare data | en |
| dc.type | Journal article | en |
| dspace.entity.type | Publication | en |
| local.bibliographicCitation.lastpage | 377 | en |
| local.bibliographicCitation.startpage | 376 | en |
| local.contributor.affiliation | Jorm, Anthony F.; Centre for Mental Health Research, National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, ANU College of Law, Governance and Policy, The Australian National University | en |
| local.contributor.affiliation | Jacomb, Patricia A.; Centre for Research on Ageing, Health & Wellbeing, Department of Health Economics, Wellbeing and Society, National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, ANU College of Law, Governance and Policy, The Australian National University | en |
| local.contributor.affiliation | Christensen, Helen; Centre for Mental Health Research, National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, ANU College of Law, Governance and Policy, The Australian National University | en |
| local.contributor.affiliation | Henderson, Scott; Centre for Mental Health Research, National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, ANU College of Law, Governance and Policy, The Australian National University | en |
| local.contributor.affiliation | Korten, Ailsa E.; Centre for Mental Health Research, National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, ANU College of Law, Governance and Policy, The Australian National University | en |
| local.contributor.affiliation | Rodgers, Bryan; School of Demography, Research School of Social Sciences, ANU College of Arts & Social Sciences, The Australian National University | en |
| local.identifier.citationvolume | 166 | en |
| local.identifier.doi | 10.5694/j.1326-5377.1997.tb123170.x | en |
| local.identifier.pure | 7623fd13-4b53-4cce-b14b-34cc9b8ed513 | en |
| local.identifier.url | https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/0031002986 | en |
| local.type.status | Published | en |