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Table 3 Type of pet ownership in older adult pet owners, by age and gender (weighted)

From: Human-animal interaction as a social determinant of health: descriptive findings from the health and retirement study

  50–69 years old 70–84 years old 85 + years old
Male (%) Female (%) Male (%) Female (%) Male (%) Female (%)
All Pet Owners 41.9% 58.1% 37.9% 62.1% 22.3% 77.7%
Dogs 71.8%1 68.2%2 67.2%1 64.2%2 75.9%1 44.8%2
Cats 38.1%3 49.6%4 48.1%3 50.2%4 0.0%3 46.5%4
Birds 7.6% 3.7% 7.1% 3.8% 24.1% 0.0%
Fish 10.2% 4.7% 2.2% 3.4% 0.0% 8.8%
Small Mammals 1.6% 1.0% 0.0% 0.4% 0.0% 0.0%
Reptiles 0.3% 1.2% 0.0% 0.3% 0.0% 0.0%
  1. 1Comparison within males; ns, p = 0.78
  2. 2Comparison within females; ns, p = 0.21
  3. 3Comparison within males; p < .001
  4. 4Comparison within females; ns, p = 0.97
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BMC Public Health

ISSN: 1471-2458

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