MU researcher shares findings at MU Libraries Faculty Lecture Series
By Alice Roach

As a part of the inaugural MU Libraries Faculty Lecture Series, Dr. Rebecca Johnson of the Sinclair School of Nursing presented her research to the public on Oct. 12 in Ellis Library.

Jim Cogswell, director of libraries at MU, introduced the MU Libraries sponsored series of professor-spoken lectures.

“The idea for the series has been percolating,” Cogswell said. “The idea is to bring together active scholars and researchers and bring to a public forum ideas they are working with and to share with an audience beyond a scholarly audience.”

Johnson’s presentation “Pets and People: Research on how Furry Friends help our Health” expanded upon her research and the research of others. She acts as the director for the Research Center for Human-Animal Interaction at MU. The center is a joint effort between the College of Veterinary Medicine and the Sinclair School of Nursing where she is a professor of gerontological nursing and public policy.

Johnson’s most recent studies looked at how people who walked dogs benefited both physically and mentally. In her research, she targeted lower income participants as she worked with residents of two local public housing establishments. Study participants were over 40 years of age, able to walk and had received approval from their physician. In the first study, for 50 weeks, dog walkers logged in 10 minutes of walking, three times a week. Participants eventually graduated to walking 20 minutes a day, five times a week. The second study was similar except that the duration was only 28 weeks. Study group No. 1 averaged 14.4 pounds in lost weight. The second group averaged a loss of five pounds. Johnson was pleased with the results of what she discovered and how she helped the participants.

“This was the most rewarding piece of research in my life,” Johnson said. “It helped these people, and these people don’t have many options.”

Although Johnson was impressed by how the animals helped study participants lose weight and feel better about themselves, she was equally satisfied with the dogs. For a dog to become involved in the study it had to be trained, certified and health checked.

“These are incredibly talented individuals,” Johnson said.

In addition to speaking about her own research, during the lecture she also shared why people choose to have pets and how those pets support their owners.

“It is the notion of humans wanting to connect with animals,” Johnson said. “As the world becomes faster, people will seek out the affirmative.”

The animal, therefore, helps develop a physically, mentally and socially stronger owner. For example, animals are seen as social lubricants, unconditional companionship, support systems and members of the family. Pet owners are more likely to survive a year after a heart attack, make fewer visits to the doctor and have better cholesterol levels. Pet owners are also less likely to be depressed and are more likely to have better morale. Johnson sees morale as being one of the most important benefits.

“Morale is pretty important,” Johnson said. “It is the way in which we perceive our health.”

Winifred Krause attended Johnson’s lecture and found the message to be informative and true in her own life.

“It was very informative about how pets play an important role in our lives—I love having a pet,” Krause said.

Johnson’s next step in researching how pets positively affect owners includes taking animals to the gym as support companions. She is also currently studying how pets help people transition to living in nursing homes..

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