title: Odds of Getting Adequate Physical Activity by Dog Walking.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  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.
  
  
  METHODS
  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).
  
  
  RESULTS
  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).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  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.
authors.affiliation: Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA.
authors.forename: Jesus
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Soares
authors.forename: Jacqueline N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Epping
authors.forename: Chantelle J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Owens
authors.forename: David R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Tina J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Lankford
authors.forename: Eduardo J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Simoes
authors.forename: Carl J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Caspersen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000818:Animals; D004285:Dogs; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010067:Ownership; D057805:Pets; D016138:Walking / Q000502:physiology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult
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