title: Dog walking among adolescents: Correlates and contribution to physical activity.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the association of dog walking with adolescents' moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and body mass index (BMI), and identify correlates of dog walking.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were 12-17year-olds (n=925) from the Baltimore, MD and Seattle, WA regions. Differences in accelerometer-assessed minutes/day of MVPA and self-reported BMI (percentile) were compared among adolescents (1) without a dog (n=441) and those with a dog who (2) did (≥1days/week, n=300) or (3) did not (n=184) walk it. Correlates of (1) dog walking (any vs. none) among adolescents with dogs (n=484), and (2) days/week of dog walking among dog walkers (n=300) were investigated. Potential correlates included: demographic, psychosocial, home environment, perceived neighborhood environment, and objective neighborhood environment factors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  52% of adolescents lived in a household with a dog, and 62% of those reported dog walking ≥1day/week. Dog walkers had 4-5 more minutes/day of MVPA than non-dog-walkers and non-dog-owners. BMI was not associated with dog walking or ownership. Among households with dogs, adolescents who lived in objectively walkable neighborhoods were 12% more likely to walk their dog than those in less walkable neighborhoods. Among dog walkers, having a multi-family home, college-educated parent, lower perceived traffic safety, higher street connectivity and less mixed use were related to more days/week of dog walking.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Dog walkers had 7-8% more minutes/day of MVPA than non-dog walkers, and correlates of dog walking were found at multiple levels of influence. Results suggest multilevel interventions that include both environmental and psychosocial components to increase dog walking should be evaluated.
authors.affiliation: Family Medicine and Public Health, University of California, San Diego, 3900 5th Ave Suite 310, San Diego, CA 92103, USA. Electronic address: jkengelb@ucsd.edu.
authors.forename: Jessa K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Engelberg
authors.affiliation: Center for Children's Healthy Lifestyles & Nutrition, Children's Mercy Hospital, 610 E. 22nd St., Kansas City, MO 64108, USA. Electronic address: jacarlson@cmh.edu.
authors.forename: Jordan A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Carlson
authors.affiliation: Family Medicine and Public Health, University of California, San Diego, 3900 5th Ave Suite 310, San Diego, CA 92103, USA. Electronic address: tlconway@ucsd.edu.
authors.forename: Terry L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Conway
authors.affiliation: Family Medicine and Public Health, University of California, San Diego, 3900 5th Ave Suite 310, San Diego, CA 92103, USA. Electronic address: kcain@ucsd.edu.
authors.forename: Kelli L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Cain
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle Children's Research Institute, 2001 Eighth Avenue, Suite 400, Seattle, WA 98121, USA. Electronic address: bsaelens@u.washington.edu.
authors.forename: Brian E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Saelens
authors.affiliation: Perelman School of Medicine and School of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania, 801 Blockley Hall, 423 Guardian Drive, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA. Electronic address: kglanz@upenn.edu.
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Glanz
authors.affiliation: School of Community and Regional Planning, University of British Columbia, #433-6333 Memorial Road, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z2, Canada. Electronic address: ldfrank@urbandesign4health.com.
authors.forename: Lawrence D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Frank
authors.affiliation: Family Medicine and Public Health, University of California, San Diego, 3900 5th Ave Suite 310, San Diego, CA 92103, USA. Electronic address: jsallis@ucsd.edu.
authors.forename: James F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Sallis
mesh_terms: D061725:Accelerometry / Q000295:instrumentation; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D015142:Baltimore; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D004285:Dogs; D004779:Environment Design; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D057566:Self Report; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016138:Walking / Q000502:physiology*; D014861:Washington
keywords: Built environment; Dog walking; Ecological models; Obesity; Physical activity; Walkability