Physical activity, weight status, and neighborhood characteristics of dog walkers

doi:10.1016/j.ypmed.2008.05.007

Preventive Medicine

Volume 47, Issue 3, September 2008, Pages 309-312

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2008.05.007 Get rights and content

Abstract

Objective

This study examined how demographics, physical activity, weight status, and neighborhood characteristics varied among households with and without dogs.

Method

Participants aged 20 to 65 years (n = 2199, 52% male, 75% white, mean age = 45) were recruited from 32 neighborhoods in the Seattle, WA and Baltimore, MD regions during 2002–2005. Dog ownership, dog walking, education, height, weight, and family income were self-reported. Minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) were measured objectively by 7-day accelerometry.

Results

Dog walking was associated with a higher proportion of participants who met national recommendations for MVPA (53%) when compared to those who had but did not walk their dog (33%) and to non-dog owners (46%). There were significantly fewer obese dog walkers (17%) when compared to both owners who did not walk their dogs (28%) and non-owners (22%). Dog owners who walked their dogs were more likely to live in high-walkable neighborhoods when compared to dog owners who did not walk their dogs.

Conclusion

Dog walking may promote physical activity and contribute to weight control. Dog walking appears to be a mechanism by which residents of high-walkable neighborhoods obtain their physical activity.

Introduction

Given that over 60% of the adult U.S. population is overweight, over 30% is obese (Ogden et al., 2006), and the prevalence rate of type 2 diabetes is 25% in some racial/ethnic groups (CDC, 2008), improved approaches to physical activity promotion and weight gain prevention are needed. Morgan (2001) suggested that a greater emphasis on promoting “purposeful” physical activity could improve outcomes. Purposeful physical activity in Morgan's model is activity that is not exercise for improving fitness, but activity done in the process of achieving another goal such as walking to work instead of driving. Dog walking is an example of purposive physical activity and has been examined as a mechanism for promoting moderate physical activity (Bauman et al., 2001, Brown and Rhodes, 2006, Ham and Epping, 2006, Thorpe et al., 2006a, Thorpe et al., 2006b), as well as an effective method of weight loss for both pets and their owners (Becker and Kushner, 2006, Chan et al., 2005).

Neighborhood walkability has been consistently related to active transportation and overall physical activity (Frank et al., 2007), but its relationship to dog walking is unclear. The only published study (in abstract form only) that was found by Bauman et al. (2007) reported that among Australian adults there was an interaction of neighborhood walkability and socioeconomic status (SES) such that those least likely to walk their dogs lived in the poorest and least walkable neighborhoods. The current study used a population-based sample of adults to examine how dog ownership, participant characteristics, and neighborhood walkability interacted to explain objectively monitored physical activity levels and weight status.

Section snippets

Study design

The Neighborhood Quality of Life Study (NQLS), conducted from 2002–2005, was an observational epidemiologic study designed to compare multiple health outcomes among residents of neighborhoods stratified based on their “walkability” characteristics and median household income. The study was conducted in two metropolitan areas in the U.S. that were chosen based on the availability of detailed parcel-level and road network data which could be uploaded into a Geographic Information System (GIS) as

Participants

Overall, participant characteristics included a mean age of 45 ± 11 years and 52% were male, 75% were Caucasian, 65% completed a college degree, 56% were married, and 43% had annual household incomes of $70,000 or more. Most participants (57%) were either overweight or obese and 46% of participants met MVPA recommendations. Overall, 28% of participants reported owning a dog. Of those who owned a dog, 30% said they did not walk their dog, while the remaining 70% of dog owners reported walking

Discussion

The present study provided some evidence that dog walking could be a promising strategy for promoting physical activity and controlling obesity. Dog walkers were more likely to meet national recommendations for MVPA (53%) when compared to dog owners who did not walk their dogs (33%) and to non-dog owners (46%). This finding is likely robust given that MVPA was assessed objectively with an accelerometer. In another potential health effect of dog walking, there were significantly fewer obese dog

Conclusions

Current findings, combined with results of other recent studies (Bauman et al., 2001, Bauman et al., 2007, Becker and Kushner, 2006, Chan et al., 2005, Cutt et al., 2007a, Cutt et al., 2007b, Thorpe et al., 2006a, Thorpe et al., 2006b), provide suggestive evidence that promoting dog walking could address physical inactivity and obesity. Because there is a lack of evidence-based obesity control strategies that can be implemented at the population level (DHHS, 2001), a high priority should be

Acknowledgments

This study was funded by a grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NIH Grant HL67350) awarded to Dr. Sallis.

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View full text

Physical activity, weight status, and neighborhood characteristics of dog walkers

Abstract

Objective

Method

Results

Conclusion

Introduction

Section snippets

Study design

Participants

Discussion

Conclusions

Acknowledgments

Am. J. Prev. Med.

Health. &. Place.

Soc. Sci. Med.

J. Chronic. Dis.

Addict. Behav.

The epidemiology of dog walking: an unmet need for human and canine health

Med. J. Aust.

Lower socioeconomic status and low-walkable neighborhoods are associated with inactivity and obesity among dog owners

Oral Presentation at the Active Living Research Annual Meeting, February 22–24, Coronado, CA

Fitness Unleashed: a Dog and Owner's Guide to Losing Weight and Gaining Health Together

National Diabetes Surveillance System

Use of pedometers to measure physical activity in dogs

J. Am. Vet. Med. Assoc.