Dog-walking: motivation for adherence to a walking program.
Healthy People 2010 cited walking as a major health indicator; however, adherence is challenging, especially among those with multiple chronic illnesses. Studies suggest that walking one's own dog may motivate adherence. However, no research has studied whether walking a "loaner" dog may facilitate adherence. Using a pretest-posttest design, the authors studied adherence to and outcomes of a graduated walking program when 26 public housing residents walked certified therapy dogs with a handler. Participants walked 20 minutes, 5 days/week, for 26 or 50 weeks. In all, 13 participants in the 50-week group had a mean adherence rate of 72% and weight loss of 14.4 pounds (p = .013). Thirteen participants in the 26-week group had a mean adherence rate of 52% and weight loss of 5 pounds (nonsignificant). Participants' most commonly stated reason for adherence was that the dogs "need us to walk them." Commitment to a dog that is not one's own may effectively facilitate physical activity.
Johnson
Rebecca A
RA
Sinclair School of Nursing and Research Center on Human Animal Interaction, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, MO 65211, USA. rajohnson@missouri.edu
Meadows
Richard L
RL
D000818:Animals; D004285:Dogs; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D009042:Motivation; D010349:Patient Compliance; D016138:Walking