Understanding dog owners' increased levels of physical activity: results from RESIDE.
We examined the influence of dog ownership on physical activity, independent of demographic, intrapersonal, and perceived environmental factors, in a cross-sectional survey of 1813 adults. Although only 23% of the dog owners walked their dogs 5 or more times per week, the adjusted odds of achieving sufficient physical activity and walking were 57% to 77% higher among dog owners compared with those not owning dogs (P< .05). Dog ownership was independently associated with physical activity and walking. Actively encouraging more dog walking may increase community physical activity levels.
The RESIDE Project, School of Population Health (M707), The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Hwy, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia. hayley.cutt@uwa.edu.au
Hayley
H
Cutt
Billie
B
Giles-Corti
Matthew
M
Knuiman
Anna
A
Timperio
Fiona
F
Bull
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D000829:Animals, Domestic; D001315:Australia; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004285:Dogs; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009043:Motor Activity; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016138:Walking / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*