Association between dog ownership and type 2 diabetes in later life: the Helsinki birth cohort study

Figures & data

Table 1. Baseline characteristics of the study subjects (N=731)

Characteristic
Males, n (%)	307	(42)
Age when clinically examined, years, mean (SD)	71	(2.7)
Body mass index, kg/m^2, mean (SD)	27.0	(4.7)
Type 2 diabetes, n (%)	94	(13)
Lifetime history of smoking, n (%)	371	(52)
Alcohol consumption, n (%)
Weekly	369	(52)
1–2 Times per month	275	(39)
Never or quit drinking	62	(9)
Educational attainment (years), mean (SD)	12.6	(3.6)
Total LTPA, MET-hours/week, median (IQR)	24.6	(33.9)
Chronic diseases, n (%)
0 Disease	234	(32)
1 Disease	301	(41)
≥ 2 Diseases	196	(27)

T2D, type 2 diabetes; SD,standard deviation; LTPA, leisure-time physical activity; MET, metabolic equivalents of task; IQR, interquartile range.

Table 2. The generalised estimating equation model for type 2 diabetes by dog ownership and age group (n=682)

Independent variables	OR (95% CI)		p-Value
Dog owners
No	1	(Ref)
Yes	1.03	(0.74–1.43)	0.871
Sex
Male	1	(Ref)
Female	0.57	(0.46–0.7)	< 0.001
Dog owners by sex interaction	1.25	(0.8–1.95)	0.319
Age (years)
≤ 10	1	(Ref)
11–20	0.99	(0.72–1.37)	0.966
21–30	0.99	(0.72–1.38)	0.975
31–40	0.98	(0.7–1.35)	0.888
41–50	0.98	(0.71–1.36)	0.899
50–60	0.99	(0.71–1.36)	0.93
≥ 60	0.99	(0.72–1.37)	0.964
Age of clinical assessment	1.04	(1.01–1.07)	0.023
Educational attainment, years	0.97	(0.95–1)	0.021
Lifetime history of smoking
No	1	(Ref)
Yes	1.32	(1.08–1.6)	0.006
LTPA, MET-hours/week	0.86	(0.83–0.89)	< 0.001
Chronic diseases
0 Disease	1	(Ref)
1 Disease	1.5	(1.19–1.88)	0.001
≥ 2 Diseases	2.04	(1.61–2.59)	< 0.001

OR, odds ratio; CI, confidence interval; LTPA, leisure-time physical activity; MET, metabolic equivalent of task.

Figure 1. The generalised estimating equation model for percentage of dog owners at different age groups (n = 731). Current dog ownership is analysed separately with logistic regression

Figure 2. Generalised estimating equation model for type 2 diabetes by dog ownership and age group (a) in all (n = 682), (b) in men (n = 291), and (c) in women (n = 391). Current dog ownership is analysed separately with logistic regression. All analyses are adjusted for age when clinically examined, socio-economic status, leisure-time physical activity, smoking, chronic diseases, and (a) also for sex