Minority Predoctoral Fellowship Program

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Researchers in the field of human-animal interactions have reported an abundance of anecdotal evidence relating pet ownership to improved human health. The number of studies based on sound science are few and the results are ambiguous. According to researchers, these inconsistencies are a result of the variables measured and the methods used. This research proposes to use clinical measures rather than self-reports to model the relationship between pet ownership and health (measured as cardiovascular risk factors, mental health, physical function and physical activity), while adjusting for potential confounding variables. Participants were recruited from a random sample of White (n=1794) and all Black (n=1281) Medicare eligible adults aged 70-79 living in the Memphis, TN and Pittsburgh, PA vicinities. The large percentage of African Americans (41.6 percent) in the sample affords the opportunity to also investigate possible racial differences with respect to the impact of pets on human health. Data will be extracted from the Health Aging, and Body Composition (Health ABC) Study.