This Article  • Full text  • Full text PDF  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citation map  • Citing articles on HighWire  • Citing articles on ISI (9)  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in this journal

Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 1998;152:1035-1037.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

Pets, present in more than half the households in the United States, provide emotional and physical benefits to their owners.^1-2 However, pet-associated human illnesses and injuries cause significant morbidity and mortality, incurring substantial economic costs for owners and insurance companies. The most costly pet-associated health hazards, Salmonella gastroenteritis, congenital toxoplasmosis, and animal bites,^3-4 are potentially preventable with appropriate knowledge and precautions.^5-8 We hypothesize that there is a lack of awareness of pet-associated health risks among parents, and that pediatricians do not educate their patients about the health risks involved in owning a pet. This study assesses parents' and pediatricians' knowledge of specific pet-related risks, identifies the sources of this information, and examines pediatricians' attitudes regarding education about pet-associated health risks.

Participants and Methods

Primary caregivers of children were given a 1-page questionnaire during patient visits at 5 pediatric practices in Tucson, Ariz, between May 29 and July 28, 1995. We asked about pet . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Results of the Parent Survey
Demographics

Parental Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Regarding Specific Pet-Associated Health Hazards

Results of a Pediatrician Survey
Demographics

Pediatrician Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Regarding Specific Pet-Associated Health Hazards

Pediatrician Attitudes and Practices Regarding Patient Education in Pet-Associated Health Hazards

Comment

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES

Exposure to Nontraditional Pets at Home and to Animals in Public Settings: Risks to Children
Pickering et al.
Pediatrics 2008;122:876-886.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Behavioral assessment of child-directed canine aggression
Reisner et al.
Inj. Prev. 2007;13:348-351.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

If We Ran the Petting Zoo
Schiff
AAP Grand Rounds 2007;18:34-35.
FULL TEXT  

Anticipatory Guidance: Too Much of a Good Thing?
Fimbres
AAP Grand Rounds 2006;15:48-49.
FULL TEXT  

Salmonella Infections Peak in Infancy
Wallace
AAP Grand Rounds 2001;6:6-7.
FULL TEXT