Cat and Dog Ownership in Early Life and Infant Development: A Prospective Birth Cohort Study of Japan Environment and Children's Study.

ABSTRACT: Contact with companion animals has been suggested to have important roles in enhancing child development. However, studies focused on child development and pet ownership at a very early age are limited. The purpose of the current study was to investigate child development in relation to pet ownership at an early age in a nationwide prospective birth cohort study: the Japan Environment and Children's Study. Associations between cat and dog ownership at six months and infant development at 12 months of age were examined in this study. Infant development was assessed using the Ages & Stages QuestionnairesTM (ASQ-3) at 12 months. Among participants of (Japan Environment and Children's Study) JECS, those with available data of cat and dog ownership at six months and data for the ASQ-3 at 12 mon

SUBMITTER: Minatoya M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6981655 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature