Introduction: Diminishing cognitive and physical functions, worsening psychological symptoms, and increased mortality risk and morbidity typically accompany aging. The aging population's health needs will continue to increase as the proportion of the population aged > 50 years increases. Pet ownership (PO) has been linked to better health outcomes in older adults, particularly those with chronic conditions. Much of the evidence is weak. Little is known about PO patterns as people age or the contribution of PO to successful aging in community-dwelling older adults. This study examines PO patterns among healthy community-dwelling older adults and the relationship of PO to cognitive and physical functions and psychological status.

Methods: Participants in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (> 50 years old, N = 378) completed a battery of cognitive, physical function, and psychological tests, as well as a PO questionnaire. Descriptive and non-parametric or general/generalized linear model analyses were conducted for separate outcomes.

Results: Most participants (82%) had kept pets and 24% have pets: 14% dogs, 12% cats, 3% other pets. The most frequent reasons for having pets included enjoyment (80%) and companionship (66%). Most owners had kept the pet they had the longest for over 10 years (70%). PO was lower in older decades (p < 0.001). Pet owners were more likely to live in single-family homes and reside with others (p = 0.001) than non-owners. Controlling for age, PO was associated independently with better cognitive function (verbal leaning/memory p = 0.041), dog ownership predicted better physical function (daily energy expenditure, p = 0.018), and cat ownership predicted better cognitive functioning (verbal learning/memory, p = 0.035). Many older adults who did not own pets (37%) had regular contact with pets, which was also related to health outcomes.

Conclusion: PO is lower at older ages, which mirrors the general pattern of poorer cognitive and physical function, and psychological status at older ages. PO and regular contact with pets (including PO) are associated with better cognitive status compared with those who did not own pets or had no regular contact with pets independent of age. Dog ownership was related to better physical function. Longitudinal analysis is required to evaluate the association of PO and/or regular contact with maintenance of health status over time.

介绍：衰老通常会伴随着认知和身体功能的下降，心理症状的恶化以及死亡风险和发病率的增加。随着年龄在50岁以上的人口比例的增加，老年人口的健康需求将继续增加。宠物拥有权（PO）与老年人，特别是患有慢性疾病的老年人更好的健康结果有关。许多证据是薄弱的。人们随着年龄的增长而对PO模式的了解甚少，或者说PO对成功居住在社区中的老年人的贡献不大。这项研究调查了健康的社区居民老年人的PO模式，以及PO与认知和身体功能以及心理状态的关系。

方法： 参加巴尔的摩老龄化纵向研究（年龄超过50岁， ñ= 378）完成了一系列的认知，身体功能和心理测验，以及一份PO问卷。对单独的结果进行了描述性和非参数或一般/广义线性模型分析。

结果：大多数参与者（82％）养过宠物，而24％养宠物：狗14％，猫12％，其他宠物3％。养宠物的最常见原因包括享乐（80％）和陪伴（66％）。大多数主人养了他们最长的宠物超过10年（70％）。在过去的几十年中，PO较低（p<0.001）。宠物主人更可能住在独户住宅并与他人住在一起（p= 0.001）。控制年龄，PO独立地与更好的认知功能（言语倾向/记忆）相关联p = 0.041），狗的拥有量可以预测更好的身体机能（每日能量消耗， p = 0.018），而拥有猫的人预测的认知功能更好（语言学习/记忆， p= 0.035）。许多不养宠物的老年人（37％）经常与宠物接触，这也与健康状况有关。

结论：老年人的PO较低，这反映了老年人的认知和身体功能较差以及心理状态的一般模式。与那些没有宠物或没有与年龄无关的宠物进行定期接触的人相比，PO和与宠物进行定期接触（包括PO）具有更好的认知状态。狗的所有权与更好的身体机能有关。需要进行纵向分析，以评估PO和/或定期接触与维持健康状况之间的关系。