Could having a pet help children with diabetes?
The answer may be yes according to a recent study, published by The Diabetes Educator. The study found that older children with Type 1 diabetes who own a pet they have to feed twice daily may better remember to take their insulin and check their glucose, reported The New York Times.
An assistant professor, Olga Gupta, at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, gave 16 out of 28 participants a fishbowl, a $5 gift card to buy a fish and instructions to feed the fish twice a day and to check their blood glucose at the same time, the Times wrote. Once a week they were to clean out the fishbowl and review their glucose logs with a parent.
The other participants were not given a fishbowl or fish, but were promised a gift card after the three-month study.
"After three months, the fish owners had slightly improved glucose control, as indicated by lower hemoglobin A1C values, while those without a fish had worsened," the Times wrote.
The study participants were ages 10 to 17.
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"The decrease was greater in the adolescents ages 10 to 13," said Gupta, according to a press release on the study. "Children in this age group are often beginning to seek independence from their parents, and were more eager to care for the fish than some of the older adolescents."
Often, older children with Type 1 diabetes want responsibility of monitoring the disease themselves, but the problem lies in their frequently forgetting to take shots and check glucose. Having a pet could be the answer for remembering, as children take responsibility for that animal's well-being, said one parent of a participant.
"I would recommend this approach to other families because it creates ownership not just of the fish, but ownership of your diabetes," said Jeanette Claxton, mother of 12-year-old Raymon. "When you own it, diabetes doesn't own you."
Owning and taking care of a pet can benefit a child's physical and emotional well-being, reported Marsha Maxwell for the Deseret News. Caring for an animal can teach children empathy, self-efficacy and can help reduce stress, Maxwell wrote.
Researchers have also recently been digging more into how pets can help autistic children improve social skills and reduce stress, though this isn't a new concept to experts.
"Research in the area of pets for children with autism is very new and limited. But it may be that the animals helped to act as a type of communication bridge, giving children with autism something to talk about with others," said Gretchen Carlisle, the author of a study looking at how pets may play a role in developing social skills, according to HealthDay.
Though the correlation was minor, owning a dog for longer periods of time was linked to stronger social skills and fewer behavioral problems, HealthDay reported.
Related links:
Children more likely to confide in pets than siblings, study says
'What Pet Should I Get?' and 10 other Dr. Seuss books for your kids
The answer to your summer blues that's more than an impulse buy
Email: mmorgan@deseretnews.com, Twitter: @mandy_morg