Program seeks Council approval for an initiative titled “Human-Animal Interaction (HAI) Research.” Nearly 75% of US households have pets. In addition, size of US families is decreasing, with the reduction in the number of younger siblings, babies, and elderly from family homes, which means that many children may be more likely to grow up with an animal than with a younger sibling or grandparent in the home. It has been documented in the literature that pets offer a source of emotional support to children, and studies suggest they may be helpful to prevent allergies, ease anxiety and encourage exercise. However, most of the studies focusing on how animals affect children's health, development and well-being are correlational and stop short of providing answers to key developmental questions and establishing causal relationships. There also is a need for more research on Animal-Assisted Interventions (AAIs), including Animal-Assisted Therapies (AAT), which purposefully include an animal for therapeutic gains in humans across the lifespan.
This funding opportunity announcement will highlight the research areas that are ripe for investigation regarding Human-Animal Interaction (HAI) including how HAI relates to child development, health, and the therapeutic inclusion of animals in interventions for individuals with disabilities or those requiring rehabilitative services.
In the last cycle of this initiative, 11 grants were awarded covering a range of topics such as the effects of pet ownership on child physical activity, an evaluation of a service dog training program for veterans with PTSD and an examination of how HAI affects the neuroendocrine system in children.
The goal of this initiative is to enhance our understanding of the impact HAI on typical and atypical child development and health; the evaluation of animal-assisted intervention for children and adults with disabilities or in need of rehabilitative services; and the effects of animals on public health, including cost effectiveness of involving animals in reducing and preventing disease.
This proposed concept aligns with the NICHD Vision are of Behavior and Cognition, specifically in helping to identify how specific physical and social environmental exposures shape behavior, alter developmental trajectories and influence health outcomes. The concept aligns with the Child Development and Behavior Branch priority of identifying factors that promote psychosocial adjustment for children.
NICHD engages in a Public-Private-Partnership with The WALTHAM Centre for Pet Nutrition, a Division of Mars, Inc, which has a shared interest in this area of research. WALTHAM was not involved in developing this concept nor in any decisions, past or future, regarding funding for this area of NICHD support.
Program Contact
Layla Esposito
Child Development and Behavior Branch (CDBB)
Back to Concept Review by Council.
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