Odds of Getting Adequate Physical Activity by Dog Walking

• Published in: Journal of physical activity & health Vol. 12 Suppl 1; p. S102
• Main Authors: Soares, Jesus, Epping, Jacqueline N, Owens, Chantelle J, Brown, David R, Lankford, Tina J, Simoes, Eduardo J, Caspersen, Carl J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 16.06.2015
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Animals; Dogs; Female; Health Promotion - methods; Health Status; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Odds Ratio; Ownership; Pets; Walking - physiology; Walking - statistics & numerical data; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1543-5474
• DOI: 10.1123/jpah.2013-0229

We aimed to determine the likelihood that adult dog owners who walk their dogs will achieve a healthy level of moderate-intensity (MI) physical activity (PA), defined as at least 150 mins/wk. We conducted a systematic search of 6 databases with data from 1990-2012 on dog owners' PA, to identify those who achieved MIPA. To compare dog-walkers' performance with non-dog walkers, we used a random effects model to estimate the unadjusted odds ratio (OR) and corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI). We retrieved 9 studies that met our inclusion criterion and allowed OR calculations. These yielded data on 6980 dog owners aged 18 to 81 years (41% men). Among them, 4463 (63.9%) walked their dogs. Based on total weekly PA, 2710 (60.7%) dog walkers, and 950 (37.7%) non-dog walkers achieved at least MIPA. The estimated OR was 2.74 (95% CI 2.09-3.60). Across 9 published studies, almost 2 in 3 dog owners reported walking their dogs, and the walkers are more than 2.5 times more likely to achieve at least MIPA. These findings suggest that dog walking may be a viable strategy for dog owners to help achieve levels of PA that may enhance their health.