November 17, 2010 – Exercise promotion could go through … the dog! A study1 American suggests that having a dog would help to be active enough to be healthy.
People who regularly take their dogs for walks are more likely to meet national recommendations for physical activity, according to a team of public health researchers from the University of San Diego.
The study was conducted among 984 men and women who owned a dog with an average size of 23 kilos (50 lbs). The participants were classified into 2 categories: those who had walked with their dog at least once for at least 10 minutes during the last week (dog walker) and those who had not reached this minimum threshold. A third of the respondents belonged to this second category.
Thus, 64.3% of dog walkers complied with the recommendation of the American Guide to Physical Activity, which encourages adults to perform moderate exercise of at least 30 minutes every day, 5 times a week ( 150 minutes). Among those who did not walk their dog, this proportion was rather 55%. The American standard is the same as that found in Canada’s Guide to Physical Activity.
Analyzes reveal that the fact that a dog asks its handler for a walk is an important determinant in the choice of whether or not to go for a walk. According to the study authors, this supports the idea that social support (in this case that of a dog) is a facilitator of physical activity.
The owner’s sense of obligation to his dog and the animal’s good behavior on a walk also play an important role in an owner’s decision and motivation to walk his dog.
The dog’s behavior, the insecurity of the neighborhood, and the idea that the dog does not need a walk are the main reasons why some canine owners refrain from walking their pets.
According to the Canadian Public Health Agency, only 48% of adults in Quebec meet Canadian standards for weekly physical activity, which corresponds to what is observed in the United States.
Targeted interventions are needed to get people to become more active. According to the researchers, one of them could be with dog owners who shy away from walking with their pets. After all, 37% of American households own a dog. This proportion is 23% in the province of Quebec, according to the Association of veterinary surgeons of Quebec.
Louis M. Gagné – PasseportSanté.net
1 Hoerster KD, Mayer JA et al. Dog walking: Its association with physical activity guideline adherence and its correlates. Prev Med. 2010 Nov 1.
