Abstract
Companion animals play an important role in our society. However, pregnant women and new mothers might have specific concerns about animal-associated health outcomes because of their altered immune function and posture as well as their newborn babies. The study was conducted to collect baseline data for developing an evidence-based intervention for pregnant women and new mothers to help them adopt certain behaviors to prevent adverse animal-associated health outcomes. A survey, using the Health Belief Model as the theoretical framework, was developed and administered to 326 women attending the Women, Infants, and Children programs in Illinois and Indiana in 2015. Prevalence of dog and cat ownership was estimated to be 39% (95% CI: 33–45%) and 26% (95% CI: 21–31%), respectively. Regardless of pet ownership, 74% of the respondents reported having some type of animal contact in the past month. Pregnancy or the birth of a child altered some animal contact practices among the study participants; particularly a discontinuation or decrease in cleaning cat litter boxes. Reports of diseases contracted from animals were low (4%) in this study. By contrast, animal-associated injuries were prevalent (42%), and the majority were caused by animals the respondents owned (56%). Overall, respondents indicated that they appreciated the benefits of a program addressing animal-associated health outcomes and did not indicate strong resistance to adopt certain behaviors. The majority recognized human health-care providers as a source of information about animal contact and associated health outcomes but less frequently identified veterinarians as a source for such information. In addition, although most of the respondents felt that health-care providers and veterinarians should initiate discussions about preventing animal-associated illness and injuries, only 41% among those who had visited doctors or prenatal care services reported that their health-care providers discussed these issues with them. The results indicate the importance of an intervention concerning animal contact and associated health outcomes for the target population and provide insights to the potential implications of program implementation.
Highlights
Companion animals play an important role in our society
The behavior changes that will occur during pregnancy as a result of this intervention are expected to positively influence the early lives of infants
The results from this study provide scientific evidence to support the development of an intervention and potential implications of program implementation
Summary
Companion animals play an important role in our society. According to the 2012 United States pet ownership survey by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), 37% of households in the United States own dogs and 30% own cats, and that the total number of pet dogs and cats is approximately 144 million [1]. Might be at greater risk of contracting zoonotic diseases and experiencing other adverse health outcomes (e.g., injuries) that may result from animal contact [3,4,5,6]. Young infants may be placed at increased risk of illness or injury if their caretakers are not cognizant of proper hygiene and safety procedures. These major life events might pose challenges to pregnant and postpartum women and their families, which might affect their relationship with the animals and might eventually lead to an unsuccessful pet ownership [7,8,9,10,11]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
