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Dog-Walking: Motivation for Adherence to a Walking Program
Abstract
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.
... 3. Certain studies lack randomised ConGrps (Schofield et al., 2003;Johnson and Meadows, 2010). (Kushner et al., 2006;Morrison et al., 2013;Richards et al., 2015;Schneider et al., 2015). 5. Reliance on self-reporting which may add inaccuracies to collected data (Schofield et al., 2003;Rhodes et al., 2012;Richards et al., 2015). ...
... 6. Certain studies lack an objective measure of PA (Richards et al., 2015). 7. Monetary/material gifts or rewards which may have acted as an additional motivator (Johnson and Meadows, 2010;Schneider et al., 2015). 8. ...
... 9. The pace that participants are walking during studies is often not recorded and thus whether the pace of walking is sufficient to achieve a significant benefit to physical health cannot be assessed (Johnson and Meadows, 2010). ...
... Demographic and health history information was obtained from participants via investigator-developed questionnaires that were used successfully in previous studies [56]. The demographic questionnaire asked participants' age, gender, race, marital status, years of education and horseback-riding history. ...
... Kazdin [68] also indicated that the magnitude of change in a dependent variable determines to what extent we may accept causal influence. Others found that PTSD symptoms responded to complementary therapies such as guided imagery [30] or yoga [56]. The fact that 13 of our participants had served in the Vietnam war era, and thus had perhaps been living with PTSD for decades, yet derived a clinical meaningful improvement in their PTSD symptoms from a brief 6-week THR intervention is promising. ...
... Although again not statistically significant, this trend warrants further discussion. One potential limitation of the SELSA with combat veterans is that loneliness, which may be associated with guilt and/or shame, is called spiritual or existential loneliness [56]. Another limitation is that it does not capture experiential isolation, which has been defined as failed inter-subjectivity [69]. ...
Background
Large numbers of post-deployment U.S. veterans are diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and/or traumatic brain injury (TBI), leading to an urgent need for effective interventions to reduce symptoms and increase veterans’ coping. PTSD includes anxiety, flashbacks, and emotional numbing. The symptoms increase health care costs for stress-related illnesses and can make veterans’ civilian life difficult.
Methods
We used a randomized wait-list controlled design with repeated measures of U.S. military veterans to address our specific aim to test the efficacy of a 6-week therapeutic horseback riding (THR) program for decreasing PTSD symptoms and increasing coping self-efficacy, emotion regulation, social and emotional loneliness.
Fifty-seven participants were recruited and 29 enrolled in the randomized trial. They were randomly assigned to either the horse riding group (n = 15) or a wait-list control group (n = 14). The wait-list control group experienced a 6-week waiting period, while the horse riding group began THR. The wait-list control group began riding after 6 weeks of participating in the control group.
Demographic and health history information was obtained from all the participants. PTSD symptoms were measured using the standardized PTSD Checklist-Military Version (PCL-M).
The PCL-M as well as other instruments including, The Coping Self Efficacy Scale (CSES), The Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) and The Social and Emotional Loneliness Scale for Adults-short version (SELSA) were used to access different aspects of individual well-being and the PTSD symptoms.
Results
Participants had a statistically significant decrease in PTSD scores after 3 weeks of THR (P ≤ 0.01) as well as a statistically and clinically significant decrease after 6 weeks of THR (P ≤ 0.01). Logistic regression showed that participants had a 66.7% likelihood of having lower PTSD scores at 3 weeks and 87.5% likelihood at 6 weeks. Under the generalized linear model(GLM), our ANOVA findings for the coping self-efficacy, emotion regulation, and social and emotional loneliness did not reach statistical significance. The results for coping self-efficacy and emotion regulation trended in the predicted direction. Results for emotional loneliness were opposite the predicted direction. Logistic regression provided validation that outcome effects were caused by riding longer.
Conclusion
The findings suggest that THR may be a clinically effective intervention for alleviating PTSD symptoms in military veterans.
... In den vorliegenden Studien findet meist eine Differenzierung zwischen HHS und HHnS für das Bewegungsverhalten von HH statt. Grundsätzlich werden Hundespaziergänge von HH als positive Bewegung wahrgenommen (Johnson & Meadows, 2010) und es wird von den HH ein gesundheitlicher Benefit anerkannt (Knight & Edwards, 2011). Dabei hat Hundebesitz allein nicht zwangsläufig zur Folge, dass der Hund auch spazieren geführt wird . ...
... Der Hund kann als Motivator für körperliche Aktivität dienen Degeling & Rock, 2013). So ist belegt, dass Hunde teilweise zu Spaziergängen auffordern und so eine Form der sozialen Unterstützung bilden (Hoerster et al., 2011;Johnson & Meadows, 2010;Westgarth et al., 2014). Levine et al. (2013) gehen so weit, dass sie bei Haustieren von einer Form nichtmenschlicher sozialer Unterstützung sprechen. ...
... Kushner et al. (2006) zeigen, dass adipöse HH gemeinsam mit ihrem adipösen Tier in einer Intervention abnehmen können. Johnson & Meadows (2010) konnten diesen Effekt sogar nachweisen, wenn die Intervention bei nHH mit einem fremden Hund durchgeführt wurde. Anekdotisch wird hier erwähnt, dass die TN der Intervention glaubten, dass die Hunde auf die Spaziergänge mit den TN angewiesen seien (Johnson & Meadows, 2010). ...
Background: Agility is a new approach to human animal bonding and sport activity for both handler and dog. It was created in the late 1970s (The Kennel Club, ohne Datum). From this point it quickly became popular all over Europe. But up to this day, there is still a lack of sci- entific studies in this field of research. The participation and injury prevalence of dogs and humans was studied by Kerr et al. (2014). They found out that specific dog breeds are more common in agility than others and that the prevalence of handlers being injured is similar to long distance running (Kerr et al., 2014). Furthermore it is generally known that dog owners (DO) have a better psychological well-being (Knight & Edwards, 2011), higher levels of so- cial support (Cutt, Giles-Corti, Knuiman, Timperio, et al., 2008; Lentino et al., 2012; Levine et al., 2013) and higher levels of physical activity (PA) than non-dog owners (nDO) (Brown & Rhodes, 2006; Christian et al., 2013; Coleman et al., 2008; Cutt et al., 2007; Cutt, Giles- Corti, Knuiman, Timperio, et al., 2008; Degeling & Rock, 2013; Lail et al., 2011; Toohey & Rock, 2011; Westgarth et al., 2012). Furthermore DOs are more active in recreational walking than nDOs (Brown & Rhodes, 2006; Cutt et al., 2007; Lail et al., 2011; Reeves et al., 2011; Thorpe, Kreisle, et al., 2006; Westgarth et al., 2012). Little is known about the sports of agili- ty and the effects of this kind of activity on its participants. The aim of this study is to give a general idea of the socioeconomic background of this population and what psychological benefits this PA has.
Method: The study conducted an internet based survey via Facebook. The population was large (n = 396). All in all 268 people participated in agility (AgP) and 128 people did not par- ticipate in agility (nAgP). The used questionnaires asked for general socioeconomic variables, like highest educational degree, employment status, marital status and whether or not partici- pants lived with someone else. Furthermore several questionnaires were used to ascertain quality of life (WHOQoL-BREF), social support (F-SozU K-14) and physical activity (BSA- F). Furthermore the participants were asked about the satisfaction in life with four scales from the FLZ (financial satisfaction, satisfaction with leisure time, employment satisfaction and dwelling satisfaction). Moreover, they were asked for the number of dogs in the household, the age and physiological effects.
Results: The results show that AgP have a higher education (p = .004) and are more likely to be employed (p < .001). Furthermore their dogs seem to be lighter than dogs of nAgP (p < .001) although they do not differ in size. Additionally AgP own more dogs than nAgP (p < .001) There is no difference in BMI between AgP and nAgP. AgP have significantly higher scores in global (p = .033), psychological (p = .014) and physical (p < .001) quality of life. As physical activity of life is concerned there is a predictive effect in agility participation (p < .001). The satisfaction in life differs only in leisure time satisfaction (p = .01). But partic- ipation in agility is not able to predict leisure time satisfaction. There is no difference between social support between AgP and nAgP. The results of physical activity show, that there is no difference in leisure time walking between AgP and nAgP. But there is a difference in leisure time physical activity in total (p = .036). nAgP score higher in this scale. Agility participation
predicts leisure time activity significantly (p = .047). Sportive activity is significantly higher (p = .001) in AgP. Participation in agility is a highly significant predictor for sportive activity (p = .002).
Conclusion: This study shows that there are differences between AgP and nAgP. The strength of this study is that it was able to ask a lot of people. But there are weaknesses as well. First of all, the instruments in this study were not developed for DOs. Especially social support might have a nonhuman component (Levine et al., 2013). This was not asked at all in the FSozU K-14. Furthermore there is no possibility in finding a cause-effect-relationship since it is no longitudinal design.
Further research is needed in the future. But this study is able to give a first glance into a new field of research. Additionally this work might be able to inspire future aspects of human- animal-bonding and future research in the field of dog-human sportive interaction.
... Several studies investigating the use of HAI interventions for physical activity document decreases in cardiovascular risk factors along with positive psychological impacts (Esposito, Griffin, McCune, & Maholmes, 2011;Marino, 2012). The use of dog-walking for physical activity has been proposed as an effective means of increasing physical activity in some populations due to the positive interaction between the human and animal (Johnson & Meadows, 2010). The presence of a partner, such as a dog, is linked to physical activity engagement and sustainability (Johnson & Meadows, 2010;Kushner, Blatner, Jewell, & Rudloff, 2006). ...
... The use of dog-walking for physical activity has been proposed as an effective means of increasing physical activity in some populations due to the positive interaction between the human and animal (Johnson & Meadows, 2010). The presence of a partner, such as a dog, is linked to physical activity engagement and sustainability (Johnson & Meadows, 2010;Kushner, Blatner, Jewell, & Rudloff, 2006). The use of a non-pet, therapy or shelter dog, offers a potential source of purpose and emotional support that has been previously demonstrated in adult HAI studies (Johnson & Meadows, 2010). ...
... The presence of a partner, such as a dog, is linked to physical activity engagement and sustainability (Johnson & Meadows, 2010;Kushner, Blatner, Jewell, & Rudloff, 2006). The use of a non-pet, therapy or shelter dog, offers a potential source of purpose and emotional support that has been previously demonstrated in adult HAI studies (Johnson & Meadows, 2010). Similar to physical activity studies in this population, gaps in this research include the limited use of nonpets, minimal attention to adolescents, and a paucity of experimental studies (Esposito et al., 2011). ...
Nine out of 10 adolescents fail to achieve recommended levels of aerobic and muscle-strengthening physical activity leading to deleterious consequences for individuals and a public health epidemic. Whereas all adolescents comprise a vulnerable population because of minimal levels of physical activity, those with an orthopedic limitation, including slipped capitol femoral epiphyses or Blount’s disease, are at greater risk despite shared characteristics with the general adolescent population such as normal cognition and independent ambulation. Few, if any, interventions examine effective strategies for physical activity in this population. Therapy dog-walking is proposed as an original approach for physical activity. Although this form of human-animal interaction is a potential strategy for increasing physical activity, it lacks credibility due to a paucity of studies using well-constructed, experimental designs. The objective of this pilot study was to use a one group (n = 7), prospective, pre/post design to assess feasibility and acceptability, and to serve as the foundation for future research on therapy dog-walking in this population. Feasibility and acceptability were assessed by results of the recruitment strategy, by process evaluation, and by participant satisfaction survey and interview. Descriptive statistics summarized participant demographics and protocol requirements, including the use of accelerometers. Wilcoxon matched pairs tests were used to assess participants’ experience with the dogs. Paired samples t-tests compared physical activity levels before, during, and after the dog-walking intervention. Pender’s health promotion model was the guiding framework for this study. Physical activity levels were significantly increased during the intervention compared to before (p = .049) and after (p = .025) as well as during the walking sessions themselves (p = .000). Participants expressed high enthusiasm for the program: 6 of the 7 participants attended 100% of the walking sessions when no restrictions to physical activity participation were present. No differences between the participant’s pre and post-intervention dog experience were found. These findings indicate a therapy dog-walking program is an acceptable and feasible strategy for increasing physical activity in this population. Additional research with a larger sample size, more rigorous methodological design, and refinement of the data collection methods is required.
... Dog walking provides an added incentive for older adults' activity because of their perception of the animals' need for exercise; therefore, this perception may help older adults be more apt to sustain their walking activity with their dogs (Curl et al., 2017). Some investigators found that walking the dog strengthens the bond between the human and dog and further enhances motivation to walk (Brown & Rhodes, 2006;Campbell et al., 2016Campbell et al., , 2017Curl et al., 2017;Degeling & Rock, 2012;Degeling et al., 2015;Herbert & Greene, 2001;Hoerster et al., 2011;Janevic et al., 2019;Johnson & Meadows, 2010;Knight & Edwards, 2008;Smith et al., 2017;Westgarth et al., 2017). Thorpe et al. (2006) found dog walkers were more likely than non-dog walkers to obtain the recommended 150 minutes of physical activity over a period of three years. ...
... Although our current study does not presume pet ownership, we do hypothesize the link between social connectedness and the presence of dogs. However, R. A. Johnson and Meadows (2010) suggest that people can commit to regular dog walking, even if they do not own a dog, which can increase human physical activity. ...
... In addition to cardiovascular disease risk, researchers examined the potential benefits of HAI for those with dementia (Edwards & Beck, 2002;2013;Tournier, Vives, & Postal, 2017), psychiatric symptoms/disorders (Barker & Dawson, 1998;Barker, Pandurangi, & Best, 2003;Nurenberg et al., 2015), in physical activity (Curl, Bibbo, & Johnson, 2016;Johnson, Beck, & McCune, 2011;Johnson & Meadows, 2010;Owen et al., 2010;Zeltzman & Johnson, 2011), childhood illnesses (Barker et al., 2016;Tsai, Friedmann & Thomas, 2010;Hesselmar et al., 1999;Meer et al., 2005) and other health areas. Populations studied ranged from infancy to seniors, pre-school to college and the workplace, community living to nursing homes and hospitals. ...
... With the rapid and steady increase in the number of people over age 65, HAI programs for older adults emerged and are expected to proliferate as are residential facilities promoting pet ownership. The health and well-being benefits of HAI among older adults have been established in relation to physical activity through dogwalking (Curl, Bibbo, & Johnson, 2016;Johnson & Meadows, 2010;Thorpe, et. al., 2006), loneliness reduction (Banks & Banks, 2005;Stanley, Conwell, Bowen, & Van Orden, 2015), and social interaction (Krause-Parello, 2012). ...
Human-Animal Interaction (HAI), and specifically what is called the human-animal bond, has a long history. The long-standing social implications of our association with animals continue as well as an ever-increasing utilization of animals to help mitigate the impact of disabilities. In the last four decades there has been a growing research enterprise exploring the human health consequences of our association with animals as well as studies of the psychological and physiological mechanisms to help explain the findings. Research in the area continues and the future of HAI is both challenging and exciting.
... After three weeks, pet therapy application was increased to 20 min three times a week in both groups. At the end of the study, it was reported that the weight and BMI of the participants in the group that received 50 weeks of pet therapy were statistically significantly reduced [59]. Unlike our study, in various studies conducted with different animal species and different sample groups, it is reported that pet therapy reduces BMI [60,61]. ...
... Unlike our study, in various studies conducted with different animal species and different sample groups, it is reported that pet therapy reduces BMI [60,61]. In all these studies [57,58,[58][59][60][61], the reason for the decrease in BMIs is that the animals used in pet therapy were active and increased the physical activity of individuals. Pet therapy can affect the physical movements of individuals, having permanent animals (for example, fish in an aquarium) can promote better dietary behaviors, and more interactive and temporary animals (for example, cats, and dogs) can keep people away from food [60,62]. ...
Aims
This randomized controlled study was conducted to investigate the physiological and psychological effects of pet therapy in hemodialysis patients.
Background
Pet therapy has both physiological and psychological effects on individuals with chronic diseases. However, to the best of our knowledge, no studies have examined the physiological and psychological effects of pet treatment in hemodialysis patients worldwide.
Design
A randomized controlled study.
Methods
The study was completed with 18 robotic cats, 18 Betta fish, and 18 control group patients. The data were collected at XXX State Hospital between May and September 2021 using data collection tools. Robotic pet treatment was applied to the robotic cat group for 20 min a week for two months during hemodialysis. The Betta fish group was allowed to keep Betta fish at home for two months, and they were followed for another two months. The data were evaluated in the Statistical Package for Social Sciences 23.0 package program. The study was registered on Clinical Trials (NCT05339711).
Results
During robotic cat therapy, patients' loneliness and dialysis symptoms decreased, and happiness and treatment adherence to the end-stage renal disease (ESRD) increased; In the post-test follow-up, in the first measurement, the treatment adherence to the ESRD decreased, the loneliness and dialysis symptoms increased, the happiness did not change; In the second measurement of the post-test, happiness, and treatment adherence to ESRD decreased, loneliness and dialysis symptoms increased. During Betta fish therapy, patients' body mass index, happiness, and treatment adherence to ESRD increased, loneliness and dialysis symptoms decreased; in the first measurement, and loneliness, dialysis symptoms, body mass index, and treatment adherence to the ESRD increased; In the second measurement, loneliness, dialysis symptoms increased, body mass index and happiness decreased.
Conclusions
The study revealed that Robotic cat and Betta fish therapies had positive physiological and psychological effects in hemodialysis patients, and these effects were different from each other.
... 17 The other study used therapy dogs as an intervention in a walking programme and suggested a positive effect on adherence rates. 18 Qualitative research suggests that dog walking may motivate older people to overcome poor weather conditions and promote regular outdoor activity. 19 Although several environmental factors such as security, quality and sense of community 13 20 21 have been related to dog walking behaviour, the potential for this to lead to maintenance of physical activity levels in poor weather conditions has not been well explored. ...
... 28 covariates Demographic information on participant age, sex and education was included in the analyses. Education was divided into four levels: less than O level, O level (age 14-16), A level (age [16][17][18] and university degree or equivalent. Since poor health status has been associated with a lower level of physical activity, 29 health status was measured by a self-reported question 'How would you rate your general health?'. ...
BACKGROUND: Dog ownership has been suggested to encourage physical activity in older adults and may enhance resilience to poor environmental conditions. This study investigates the role of dog ownership and walking as a means of supporting the maintenance of physical activity in older adults during periods of inclement weather. METHODS: The analysis used data from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition Norfolk cohort. Daily physical activity (counts per minute) and minutes of sedentary behaviour were measured using accelerometers over 7 days. Three types of environmental conditions, day length, precipitation and maximum temperature, were date matched with daily physical activity. A multilevel first-order autoregressive time-series model quantified the moderating effect of self-reported dog ownership and walking on the association between physical activity and weather factors. RESULTS: Among the 3123 participants, 18% reported having a dog in their households and two-thirds of dog owners walked their dogs at least once a day. Regular dog walkers were more active and less sedentary on days with the poorest conditions than non-dog owners were on the days with the best conditions. In days with the worst conditions, those who walked their dogs had 20% higher activity levels than non-dog owners and spent 30 min/day less sedentary. CONCLUSION: Those who walked dogs were consistently more physically active than those who did not regardless of environmental conditions. These large differences suggest that dog walking, where appropriate, can be a component of interventions to support physical activity in older adults.
... 17 The other study used therapy dogs as an intervention in a walking programme and suggested a positive effect on adherence rates. 18 Qualitative research suggests that dog walking may motivate older people to overcome poor weather conditions and promote regular outdoor activity. 19 Although several environmental factors such as security, quality and sense of community 13 20 21 have been related to dog walking behaviour, the potential for this to lead to maintenance of physical activity levels in poor weather conditions has not been well explored. ...
... 28 covariates Demographic information on participant age, sex and education was included in the analyses. Education was divided into four levels: less than O level, O level (age 14-16), A level (age [16][17][18] and university degree or equivalent. Since poor health status has been associated with a lower level of physical activity, 29 health status was measured by a self-reported question 'How would you rate your general health?'. ...
Background:
Dog ownership has been suggested to encourage physical activity in older adults and may enhance resilience to poor environmental conditions. This study investigates the role of dog ownership and walking as a means of supporting the maintenance of physical activity in older adults during periods of inclement weather.
Methods:
The analysis used data from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition Norfolk cohort. Daily physical activity (counts per minute) and minutes of sedentary behaviour were measured using accelerometers over 7 days. Three types of environmental conditions, day length, precipitation and maximum temperature, were date matched with daily physical activity. A multilevel first-order autoregressive time-series model quantified the moderating effect of self-reported dog ownership and walking on the association between physical activity and weather factors.
Results:
Among the 3123 participants, 18% reported having a dog in their households and two-thirds of dog owners walked their dogs at least once a day. Regular dog walkers were more active and less sedentary on days with the poorest conditions than non-dog owners were on the days with the best conditions. In days with the worst conditions, those who walked their dogs had 20% higher activity levels than non-dog owners and spent 30 min/day less sedentary.
Conclusion:
Those who walked dogs were consistently more physically active than those who did not regardless of environmental conditions. These large differences suggest that dog walking, where appropriate, can be a component of interventions to support physical activity in older adults.
... Findings from pilot intervention studies suggest that promoting dog walking among dog owners who do not routinely walk their dogs may be an effective strategy for increasing or maintaining regular walking (Christian et al., 2016). Intervention strategies studied thus far included involvement of dog handlers (Johnson & Meadows, 2010), counselling and education (Byers et al., 2014;Rhodes, Murray, Temple, Tuokko, & Higgins, 2012;Richards, 2016), a focus on families (Morrison et al., 2013), in-person meetings with a dietician (Kushner, Blatner, Jewell, & Rudloff, 2006), and the use of social networks (Schneider et al., 2015). Several interventions successfully improved physical activity through dog walking (Johnson & Meadows, 2010;Rhodes et al., 2012;Richards & Cheng, 2016) while others did not (Byers et al., 2014;Kushner et al., 2006;Morrison et al., 2013). ...
... Intervention strategies studied thus far included involvement of dog handlers (Johnson & Meadows, 2010), counselling and education (Byers et al., 2014;Rhodes, Murray, Temple, Tuokko, & Higgins, 2012;Richards, 2016), a focus on families (Morrison et al., 2013), in-person meetings with a dietician (Kushner, Blatner, Jewell, & Rudloff, 2006), and the use of social networks (Schneider et al., 2015). Several interventions successfully improved physical activity through dog walking (Johnson & Meadows, 2010;Rhodes et al., 2012;Richards & Cheng, 2016) while others did not (Byers et al., 2014;Kushner et al., 2006;Morrison et al., 2013). Larger intervention studies with longer follow-up periods are required. ...
... Findings from pilot intervention studies suggest that promoting dog walking among dog owners who do not routinely walk their dogs may be an effective strategy for increasing or maintaining regular walking (Christian et al., 2016). Intervention strategies studied thus far included involvement of dog handlers (Johnson & Meadows, 2010), counselling and education (Byers et al., 2014;Rhodes, Murray, Temple, Tuokko, & Higgins, 2012;Richards, 2016), a focus on families (Morrison et al., 2013), in-person meetings with a dietician (Kushner, Blatner, Jewell, & Rudloff, 2006), and the use of social networks (Schneider et al., 2015). Several interventions successfully improved physical activity through dog walking (Johnson & Meadows, 2010;Rhodes et al., 2012;Richards & Cheng, 2016) while others did not (Byers et al., 2014;Kushner et al., 2006;Morrison et al., 2013). ...
... Intervention strategies studied thus far included involvement of dog handlers (Johnson & Meadows, 2010), counselling and education (Byers et al., 2014;Rhodes, Murray, Temple, Tuokko, & Higgins, 2012;Richards, 2016), a focus on families (Morrison et al., 2013), in-person meetings with a dietician (Kushner, Blatner, Jewell, & Rudloff, 2006), and the use of social networks (Schneider et al., 2015). Several interventions successfully improved physical activity through dog walking (Johnson & Meadows, 2010;Rhodes et al., 2012;Richards & Cheng, 2016) while others did not (Byers et al., 2014;Kushner et al., 2006;Morrison et al., 2013). Larger intervention studies with longer follow-up periods are required. ...
... It is suggested that intrinsic motivation might be a more powerful modifier of exercise behavior than extrinsic motivators (Peel et al. 2010). We found that the emphasis placed on the emotional connection mirrored the perspective of participants in recent dog-walking studies, where the motivation for walking the dog was driven by the intimate caring relationship between the dog-owner and dog (Andreassen, Stenvold and Rudmin 2013;Higgins et al. 2013;Byers et al. 2014) and fulfilling the dog's needs (Johnson and Meadows 2010;Degeling and Rock 2013). To "Give" is one of the five recommendations toward human wellbeing, and from the results of our study we suggest that being able to do something which is perceived as a way of enhancing your dog's health and wellbeing also has the added benefit of enhancing human psychological wellbeing through the emotional connection. ...
... Furthermore, we did note that many of the participants described their experience of particularly busy and stressful work roles. The concept of "loaner-dogs" and commitment to dog-walking has recently been explored (Johnson and Meadows 2010) and the emergent role of the emotional connection in providing the motivation for dog-walking regularity raises the question of whether non-owners who walked dogs would experience the same perceived benefits. However, in order to determine whether perceived health benefits associated with dog-walking extend to the non-owner population, further exploration of people's relationships with "loaner-dogs" is warranted. ...
The aim of this study was to explore perceptions of health and wellbeing related to dog-walking in healthy adults. Ten self-reported healthy adult dog-walkers took part in one dog-walk-along interview, and nine of the 10 participants also attended one follow-up participatory analysis session. All interviews took place within the metropolitan area of Dunedin, Aotearoa/New Zealand. Dog-walk-along interviews were participant-led, audio and video recorded, and transcribed. Participants’ input into the inductive generation of themes was sought during the follow-up participatory analysis session. Three themes were identified: participants had an “Emotional Connection” with their dog(s); dog-walking led to “Healthy Interactions” (social and environmental interactions); and participants had come to value dog-walking for its aggregate benefits for Psychological Wellbeing. Our dog-walk-along interviews have revealed novel insights about how the emotional connection between human and dog strengthens intrinsic motivation to exercise (through dog-walking) whilst concurrently enhancing human psychological wellbeing through the act of giving something that gives pleasure to the dog. Through the combined methods of dog-walk-along interviews and participatory analysis sessions, we were able to identify negative influences on human psychological well-being that included anxiety about both dog behaviors and social encounters with other humans. Positive and negative aspects of dog-walking that we identified can be used by health promotion advocates to refine dog-walking related advice, programs, and initiatives.
... Petting a dog or cat, for example, has been found in tests to reduce stress (Shiverdecker et al., 2013), lower blood pressure (Sable, 2013), and increase general happiness and well-being (McNicholas et al., 2005). Pets, particularly dogs, can motivate their owners to exercise more (Johnson and Meadows, 2010), which can benefit their physical health (Hodgson et al., 2015). ...
This review paper clearly communicates the benefits of pet ownership for human health, friendship, and social engagement. Dogs were the first species to be domesticated, and pet ownership has been practiced since prehistoric times. While dogs provide various benefits to children, including as comfort, improved mental and physical well-being, and positive behavior modification, they also pose some concerns, including the ability to bite, scratch, or transmit zoonotic diseases. Pet owners should take precautions to reduce these dangers, such as keeping their animals clean, vaccinating them, and having them evaluated periodically by a veterinarian. In conclusion, dogs bring joy and good health to their owners but with that, responsible breeding is necessary to avoid any harm to the animals and the ecosystem. Further studies should be conducted to provide a better understanding of pet ownership, which in turn could help improve the quality of life for individuals and their contributions to society.
... Our results suggest that borrowers develop an emotional attachment to the dogs they walk. These results support those of Johnson and Meadows (2010) where participants expressed obligation to the needs of their borrowed dog as a form of motivation for continued participation. We believe our study is the first to study borrowers' emotional attachment to the dogs they walk as a primary aim in a mixed method study rather than as a secondary finding in study primarily about other aspects of dog-human interactions or dog-walking (e.g., Smith et al., 2017;Westgarth et al., 2019). ...
Dog-walking contributes positively to the wellbeing of humans; however, there is little evidence about any wellbeing benefits of dog-walking for “non-guardians.” We use the terminology “borrowers” to refer to non-guardians who borrow dogs to walk and “loaners” to refer to guardians who loan their dogs. In this qualitatively driven, mixed-methods study, we explored dog-walking and wellbeing for a sample of nine borrowers and four loaners. Data were collected from dog-walk-along interviews and participatory analysis sessions with borrowers, seated interviews with loaners, and supplementary questionnaires. Wellbeing of borrowers and loaners was analyzed using an existing theoretical model, Therapeutic Dog-walking Spaces, which led to two themes: “Balancing Wellbeing and Responsibility” and “Wellbeing and Trust.” Two novel theoretical spaces were identified: a “dog-space” and a “shaper space,” to further account for the role of borrowers and illustrate the active role that dogs and “shapers” like policymakers might play in enhancing therapeutic dog-walking spaces.
... This attachment, and resultant caregiving, can give structure and meaning to people's daily lives (Rogers et al., 1993;Thorpe et al., 2006) and have positive effects on an owner's sense of control and self-efficacy (Pachana et al., 2005). This can lead to an increased likelihood of taking prescribed medication (Rosenkoetter, 1991;Ryan and Ziebland, 2015) and engaging in physical activity (Raina et al., 1999;Johnson and Meadows, 2010;Scheibeck et al., 2011;Curl et al., 2017). On the other hand, concerns related to pet care have been noted in older pet owners (Chur-Hansen et al., 2008) during the COVID-19 pandemic who worried about their ability to care for their pets if they were to become infected or die as a result of contracting the virus (Kogan et al., 2021b, c). ...
Research suggests that the emotional bond shared with a pet can be particularly significant for those with declining physical health, yet little is known about breast cancer survivors’ experiences with pet ownership. The purpose of this study was to explore breast cancer survivors’ pet-related experiences including the benefits, challenges, and unmet needs. Adults (ages 18 and older), diagnosed with stages 0 ( in situ )-IV breast cancer and currently the primary owner of at least one dog or cat for at least 6 months were recruited through cancer treatment and support organizations and pet and breast cancer social media outlets. An online, anonymous, cross-sectional, mixed method survey was developed that included seven open-ended prompts to explore the stressors and benefits breast cancer survivors encountered in caring for a pet during cancer treatment and survivorship, as well as their advice for medical providers and other breast cancer survivors. Breast cancer survivors ( n = 221) responded to the online survey between July and November 2022. Researchers used the thematic analysis method to analyze salient themes in the data and descriptive statistics to summarize participants’ sociodemographic variables. The seven open-ended prompts resulted in four key themes: my furry reason to keep fighting; seeking quality care resources; my pets are my family; and someone special is waiting for you . Findings from this study suggest practical ways that medical and mental health providers and communities can enhance the well-being of survivors and support the invaluable relationships with their pets.
... The findings from the evaluation questionnaire hint toward a perceived effect of peer support by the dog on the overall health of the owner. This effect was expected due to the increased perceived social support of the dog (the weight loss partner) (13,26) and the increased physical activity (12,27). The perceived responsibility increased for both the owner and the dog during the trials, which could provide increased motivation for a long term weight loss plan. ...
Introduction: Little has been published on the psychological bond between the owner and the pet, and how this might influence shared habits that could lead to overweight and obesity. Another factor that could improve the effectiveness of a weight loss plan, is that the owner would see the dog as a weight loss partner and therefore this could increase the motivation to follow the assigned diet and exercise guidelines.
Objective: The aim of this research was to evaluate the potential mutual effects of weight loss programs for both dogs and dog owners.
Methods: Two studies were conducted: In the human-centered trial, 60 dog owners were enrolled, who signed up to receive dietary and exercise recommendations to lose weight themselves during an 8 week period, from which 29 were randomly assigned to also get recommendations for their dog. For the dog-centered trial, we selected 13 dog owners that wanted their dog to lose weight during a 6 week period, from which 7 were randomly assigned to also get recommendations for themselves. The average weight loss over the time period was recorded. A questionnaire was used to evaluate diet and exercise habits, as well as information about the relationship between the dog and owner.
Results: The average human weight loss was 2.6% in the owner+dog group (n = 29) and 2.3% in the owner only group (n = 31; p > 0.05). Forty percent (24/60) of the dogs in the human-centered trial were overweight. The overweight dogs in the owner+dog group (n = 12/29) lost 3.7% of their body weight, compared to 1.2% in the overweight dogs from the owner only group (n = 12/31; p > 0.05). In the dog-centered trial, the 7 dogs in the dog+owner group lost 8.0% of their body weight, vs. 8.3% in the six dogs in the dog only group (p > 0.05). The owners in the dog+owner group lost 2.5% of their body weight, compared to 0.5% in the dog only group (p > 0.05). In both trials owners' perceived responsibility for both their own and their dogs' weight significantly increased. In addition, habit strength regarding unhealthy feeding and exercise behaviors in relation to the dogs decreased, and self-efficacy in relation to providing the dog with healthy food and exercise increased.
Conclusion: Active weight loss in either dog owner or dog, seemed to lead to passive weight loss in the other, especially when some tools or guidelines were provided. These findings support mutual benefits of weight loss programs for dogs and dog owners, and support future weight loss programs to be a One Health approach.
... The data indicate that our participants were motivated to complete the THR because of a growing relationship with the horse they rode. Other investigators reported that a bond with a companion animal can be an effective motivator for participating in beneficial physical activity (e.g., dog walking) (Johnson & Meadows, 2010). The motivation in that study was that participants were walking dogs to help the dogs get physical activity, and in so doing, received physical activity. ...
Posttraumatic stress disorder commonly occurs among U.S. military veterans. Therapeutic horseback riding (THR) has emerged as an adjunct therapy. We explored 20 veterans’ perceived benefits, drawbacks and views of a 6-week THR program. Participants had confirmed diagnoses of posttraumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, or both. Veterans rode the same horse weekly, the same day, at the same time. Data were collected as part of a randomized clinical trial testing the effects of THR on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Veterans responded to an open-ended questionnaire. Content analysis was used for data analysis. Benefits were “Connection to the Horse,” “Relaxing,” “180 Degree Change,” and “Meeting New People.” Drawbacks were “None,” “Struggle to Get There,” “Pain,” “Too Short,” and “It is Structured.” Overall perceptions were “I Absolutely Loved It,” “Feel Again,” “The Horse,” “The People,” and “No Worries.” Participants viewed THR as positive. Findings may elucidate why THR may be clinically beneficial.
... Some research indicates that physical activity promotes mental and physical health in older people (Bherer et al., 2013;Kelly et al., 2014;Silverman & Deuster, 2014). Dog owners often get exercise by walking their dogs (Johnson & Meadows, 2010;Serpell, 1991). Siegel (1990) found that older people who owned dogs were hospitalized less often than those who did not own dogs. ...
In Japan, older people are expected to comprise 30% of the population as early as 2025. We hypothesized that visiting a zoo or aquarium might be good for their health, compared with visiting a nearby park. We conducted two studies with older Japanese participants to compare the psychological and physical effects of visiting a zoo or aquarium with those of visiting a park. In these studies, we administered the Profile of Mood States-Brief questionnaire and measured blood pressure, pulse, and salivary hormones before and after visits. In the first study, 30 participants visited a zoo, a park, and an aquarium on separate days. They also participated in a video-watching experiment as a control. The visitors’ cortisol and/or blood pressure fell significantly (p < 0.05) after visiting the zoo and park. Also, mood improved on a few scales during the zoo visit. Visiting the park had almost the same health benefits as visiting the zoo. To clarify the difference between the two, in the second study, we recruited new older volunteers and assessed changes in salivary oxytocin and cortisol during zoo and park visits. Oxytocin increased significantly (p < 0.05) and cortisol decreased during visits to the zoo, and post-visit oxytocin levels were lower for park visits than zoo visits.
... It is hypothesized that the dog may be a social lubricant for participants and their families to communicate while walking and afterwards. Further, dog walking may have the potential for improving long-term physical activity adherence through increasing readiness to engage in physical activity even beyond the dog walking (Johnson and Meadows, 2010). It has been shown that dogs motivate obese children to take physical activity (Wohlfahrt et al., 2013). ...
The second edition of this book contains 32 chapters divided into 4 main sections that discuss the theoretical foundations of One Health; methods, skills and perspectives for the practice of One Health; the application of One Health in infectious and non-infectious diseases and governance and capacity building, all of which are related to the global issues of the prevention and control of animal, plant and human diseases in the wake of drug resistance by pathogens, biodiversity loss, natural disasters, climate change and the recent COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic.
... Sedentary individuals can be encouraged to practice exercises, with the interaction with animals promoting lifestyle changes [24,25]. In addition, adherence to a physical activity program is a challenge, especially for patients with multiple chronic diseases and the animal might be a motivating factor to adhere to the program [22,26]. ...
The One Health concept represents the inseparability of human, animal, and environmental health through a unified view of health care. This article addressed the topic of public health policies from the One Health perspective, demonstrating its inclusion in various health agendas such as emerging and reemerging infectious diseases, basic sanitation, mental health, chronic non-communicable diseases, interpersonal violence, and food safety. The results showed that the application of the One Health concept to the development and implementation of policies is associated with a growing need to involve transdisciplinary teams for solving complex problems to improve communication and to ensure the relevance and acceptability of public policies, thus guaranteeing governance. According to the principle of efficiency, the government must be aware of the evolution of technical knowledge and should use the One Health approach to improve the efficacy of already existing systems. We, therefore, conducted this review to contextualize current knowledge in this topic which is becoming an essential tool for public health policy-makers and practitioners around the world promoting a reflection on the importance of multiprofessional articulation in the implementation of intersectoral public health policies.
... In agreement with the current research, a number of studies have also shown that social support can be an important influence on dog walking. However, the majority of these studies focus on the support provided by the dog for walking (e.g., Kushner et al., 2006;Cutt et al., 2008;Johnson & Meadows, 2010;Higgins et al., 2013). The present research found that support from friends for dog walking (but not support from family or the dog) was associated with better outcomes for the dog. ...
This research aimed to improve our understanding of how owners’ beliefs and behaviour are associated with obesity in companion dogs. To do this, we employed new theoretical frameworks and integrated previously reported measures to curate a collection of brief, user-friendly self-report measures to assess owner factors. The reliability and validity of these was examined in two phases of empirical research, each with a cross-sectional questionnaire design that also examined the validity of assessing body condition score (BCS) from photographs submitted by owners. Phase 1 (n = 47 dog owners from France) found that the brief owner-report measures correlated with the long-form measures (all correlations except one exceeded r = 0.70). BCS as coded from photographs were highly correlated with a vet’s assessment of the same dogs (r = 0.67). Phase 2 (n = 3,339 dog owners from France, Germany, the UK, Italy, and Russia) investigated which measures are associated with obesity among companion dogs. Perceptions of the dog’s vulnerability to the threat of obesity, perceived weight status, perceived costs associated with ownership, normative beliefs about feeding, social support from friends, and being in the precontemplation stage of change predicted BCS alongside demographic factors (e.g., dog’s age, neutered status). Taken together, the findings provide a method for assessing a wide range of factors that may be associated with obesity among companion dogs and point to potential targets for interventions designed to reduce obesity.
... Providing the necessary care for a pet can give structure and meaning to older adults' daily lives (Rogers Hart, & Boltz, 1993;Thorpe et al., 2006). The resulting structure and meaning have been linked to health-maintenance activities such as taking medication (Rosenkoetter, 1991;Ryan & Ziebland, 2015) and physical activity (Curl, Bibbo, & Johnson, 2016;Johnson & Meadows, 2010). The meanings derived from pet ownership and care provision not only reflect the tenet of timing in lives, they also highlight the continuation of development and the importance of human agency throughout the life course. ...
This study employed the life course perspective to investigate the convergence of two demographic shifts: the aging of the population and the increase of pet ownership. Specifically, we examined whether pet ownership, the degree of bond with a pet, and reasons for and against pet ownership differed between three age cohorts: the young-old (ages 51–64 years), older adults (ages 65–84), and the oldest-old (ages 85 and over). This study analyzed data from 1,367 respondents of the 2012 wave of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) using bivariate statistics and multivariate regression models. We found evidence for differences in rates of pet ownership by race, ethnicity, age, number living in household, and whether someone was living with a spouse or partner, but not by gender, education, income, wealth, or health. The bond with a pet did not differ across age cohorts. Companionship was the most common reason for owning a pet across the three age groups, while concern about the resources (e.g., time and work) required of pet ownership was the most common reason for not living with a pet. Results were interpreted at the individual level using the life course perspective’s tenets of timing in lives, linked lives, and human agency, while taking the societal level tenet of historical time and place into account. While rates of pet ownership differed by age cohort, all participants reported a strong bond with their companion animal. Programs and policies can help facilitate these ongoing relationships. The life course perspective provides a useful framework to gain a deeper understanding of pet ownership and the human–animal bond throughout people’s lives.
... However, trials published in peerreviewed journals are scant (55,56). One small open trial with public housing residents showed that overweight individuals who borrowed and walked dogs from a dog-shelter had small (hedges g = 0.17), but significant weight loss (57). This suggests that pairing individuals who do not own a dog with dogs in rescues or shelters may be a feasible weight loss solution. ...
... The only thing where some social workers were hesitant about was whether clients would actually show up for a walking group. Indeed, attrition from walking groups seems to be larger among low socioeconomic groups [39]. Social interaction and walking with dogs may help to decrease attrition among this group. ...
Multi-problem households are households with problems on more than one of the following core problem areas: socio-economic problems, psycho-social problems, and problems related to child care. The aim of this study was to examine barriers and facilitators for health behavior change among adults from multi-problem households, as well as to identify ideas for a health promotion program. A qualitative study involving 25 semi-structured interviews was conducted among Dutch adults who received intensive family home care for multi-problem households. Results were discussed with eight social workers in a focus group interview. Data were analyzed using the Framework Method. The results revealed that the main reason for not engaging in sports were the costs. Physical activity was facilitated by physically active (transport to) work and by dog ownership. Respondents who received a food bank package reported this as a barrier for healthy eating. Those with medical conditions such as diabetes indicated that this motivated them to eat healthily. Smokers and former smokers reported that stress was a major barrier for quitting smoking but that medical conditions could motivate them to quit smoking. A reported reason for not using alcohol was having difficult past experiences such as violence and abuse by alcoholics. Mentioned intervention ideas were: something social, an outdoor sports event, cooking classes, a walking group, and children’s activities in nature. Free or cheap activities that include social interaction and reduce stress are in line with the identified barriers and facilitators. Besides these activities, it may be important to influence the target group’s environment by educating social workers and ensuring healthier food bank packages.
... A groundswell of publications, including peer-reviewed articles in academic journals and books, academic and professional conferences, and specialized research institutes in these innovative fields of study, explore the meanings of nonhuman animals in relation to humans and vice versa, as well as to our shared environments. They include a wide range of contributions from virtually all disciplines including in abridged format: sociology and anthropology (Arluke & Sanders, 2009;Flynn, 2000bFlynn, , 2008Noske, 1989Noske, , 1997Noske, , 2008Serpell, 1996Serpell, , 2002, psychology (Levinson, 1969(Levinson, , 1964Taylor, 2003;Walsh, 2009aWalsh, , 2009b, political and moral philosophy (Francione, 2009;Regan, 1983Regan, /2004Singer, 1975Singer, /2009), feminist and ecofeminist theory (Adams, 1994(Adams, , 1995Adams & Donovan, 2007;Besthorn & McMillen, 2002;Glasser, 2011), law (Francione, 1995(Francione, , 2000, ethics (Botes, 2000), nursing (Johnson & Meadows, 2010;Johnson, Odendaal, & Meadows, 2002), social work (Faver, 2009;Hanrahan, 2011Hanrahan, , 2013Hanrahan, , 2015Risley-Curtiss, 2010a, 2010bTedeschi, Fitchett, & Molidor, 2005;Wolf, 2000;Yarri, 2006;Zilney, & Ziley, 2005), veterinary medicine (Arkow, 1998;Catanzaro, 2003;Hart, 2000aHart, , 2000bHart, , 2010Rowan & Beck, 1994), biology and ethology (Bekoff, 2007;Wilson, 1984), and history of science (Haraway, 2003(Haraway, , 2008. ...
Among health care professionals, veterinarians and veterinarian technicians (VVT) have been largely overlooked in terms of the consequences of preferred coping style, stress management, and care work (e.g., burnout, secondary traumatic stress [STS], and moral distress). STS, often referred to as compassion fatigue, can have serious negative physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual impacts. Although trauma research has begun to shed light on the development of STS as an adverse consequence of care work, a limited understanding exists within the extant literature about the role of other factors such as individual coping style on the development of STS among health care professionals in general, but among veterinarians specifically. This lack of attention on VVT is not surprising when one considers disproportionate lower ranking of veterinarian medicine within the larger medical hierarchy, in which doctors of humans are generally bestowed with greater prestige. Within trauma research, no understanding exists within the extant literature about the relational significance of human–animal bonds in veterinary settings regarding the development of STS, and how they may function as social determinants of health, impacting both professional and organizational well-being. This discussion article seeks to add clarity to the issue as well as challenge current perceptions of veterinary work, its health consequences on VVT, and anthropocentrism in research more generally. Implications for education and research are provided.
... Motivation for dog walking has been framed almost exclusively in terms of the needs of the dog[23]. Elderly people participating in a loaned dog walking programme reported that the dogs " need us to walk them "[24]and most dog owners report that exercising their dog regularly is good for the animal's health[25]. Pilot intervention studies targeting the canine need for exercise, rather than the human's, have had some success in increasing owner activity[26]. ...
Dog walking is a popular everyday physical activity. Dog owners are generally more active than non-owners, but some rarely walk with their dog. The strength of the dog–owner relationship is known to be correlated with dog walking, and this qualitative study investigates why. Twenty-six interviews were combined with autoethnography of dog walking experiences. Dog walking was constructed as “for the dog”, however, owners represented their dog’s needs in a way which aligned with their own. Central to the construction of need was perceptions of dog personality and behaviour. Owners reported deriving positive outcomes from dog walking, most notably, feelings of “happiness”, but these were “contingent” on the perception that their dogs were enjoying the experience. Owner physical activity and social interaction were secondary bonuses but rarely motivating. Perceptions and beliefs of owners about dog walking were continually negotiated, depending on how the needs of the owner and dog were constructed at that time. Complex social interactions with the “significant other” of a pet can strongly motivate human health behaviour. Potential interventions to promote dog walking need to account for this complexity and the effect of the dog-owner relationship on owner mental wellbeing.
... With 5% declining to participate due to health-related reasons (such as having arthritis, being wheelchair bound, and dealing with neural injuries), future studies could look into offering dog walking interventions for different demographics/sub-groups of dog owners (Bowen et al., 2009), such as special population dog owners which may include (1) dog owners with chronic pain or disabilities, (2) persons living with and relying on guide/therapy dogs, (3) persons with disabilities or barriers (e.g., health, socioeconomic) who may not/cannot/will not be able to own dogs, and also (4) dog walking volunteers at dog shelters. In support of this proposition, a study by Johnson and Meadows (2010) found that loaner dog walking programs may effectively facilitate commitment and adherence to physical activity among populations with multiple chronic illnesses; as such, persons with disabilities who may not already own dogs, or whose disabilities prevent them from engaging in the long-term daily care and ownership of a dog, may benefit from participating in regular loaner-dog walking programs under qualified and/or medical supervision. ...
Objective: Dog owners have been shown to walk more per week compared to non-dog owners; however, 60% of dog owners are still not walking their dogs at intensities sufficient to reap optimal health benefits. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and efficacy of a 9-week feasibility randomized controlled trial involving a program of six weekly scheduled instructor-led group dog walks supplemented with theory-based strategies to encourage increased dog walking among dog owners in Greater Victoria, BC. Methods: This study was based on the multi-process action control (M-PAC) framework and utilized an open parallel randomized controlled trial design involving experimental and waitlist-control group participants. Quantitative data was collected using pedometers and self-report measures. A program evaluation survey was administered upon the completion of the study. Primary outcomes examined the feasibility and acceptability of the program; secondary outcomes analyzed pedometry and self-report moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) data; and tertiary outcomes observed changes in participants’ perceptions of M-PAC constructs. Percentage calculations were used to obtain primary outcomes, and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA; controlling for baseline) was performed to examine secondary and tertiary outcomes to explore the direction of effects and obtain a first estimate of expected effect sizes. Eligibility: Male and female adults aged 18+ living in Greater Victoria, BC, who owned at least one healthy and friendly dog aged six months and above, who were not meeting recommended guidelines of 150 minutes of MVPA per week, and who were medically cleared to participate. Results: Feasibility outcomes included 74 interested responses, 23% recruitment rate (n = 17), 94% retention rate (n = 16), and 94% adherence rate (n = 15). Program participants were overall (very) satisfied with the program – worksheets (62.5%), program instructor (100%), various program/group dog walks logistics (75% to 100%). Total weekly step counts and average daily step counts, MVPA dog walking, and MVPA with dog increased at the end of the program and at follow-up, resulting in large effect sizes when compared to the waitlist-control group. MVPA dog walking and total MVPA (with and without dog) exceeded recommended guidelines at follow-up. Positive changes across time were observed for dog responsibility and M-PAC constructs of affective judgments, opportunity, planning, identity, and habit, resulting in medium and large effect sizes when compared to the waitlist-control group. Conclusions: This six-week group dog walking program is overall feasible, acceptable, and efficacious in encouraging increased dog walking and MVPA among dog owners. Attendance at weekly scheduled instructor-led group dog walks and exposure to the M-PAC construct worksheets resulted in program participants’ adoption and maintenance of positive behavioral changes at the end of the program and at follow- up. Program participants reported enjoying the program and being (very) satisfied with it. It is recommended for future studies to refine/modify initial recruitment strategies and eligibility criteria, reimburse medical/veterinarian clearance costs to reduce cost-related barriers to participation, offer a variety of options for program delivery (e.g., different locations/schedules/seasons, online programs, multi-site study) to accommodate more participants, and apply the M-PAC framework to a larger sample.
... 52 Dog walking gives purpose to a walking program, providing a motivation for adherence. 53,54 Animal visitation programs have been effective at improving emotional and behavioral function. A meta-analysis of 5 experimental studies, including 4 conducted in nursing homes concluded that animal visits led to decreases in depression. ...
Residents of 7 small assisted living facilities were randomized by facility to either reminiscing or Pet Assisted Living (PAL) intervention included a number of specific activities during each session designed to encourage maintenance of function in cognitively impaired residents’ (N=19) health/function. Residents’ participation in behaviors such as looking at, touching, brushing, talking to, walking with, and giving treats to the dog were noted for each of the 23–28 sessions/participant. Physical activity (PA) and depression were assessed monthly.
Physical activity increased and depressive symptoms decreased more with PAL than reminiscing intervention. Participation in looking at (r=.550), brushing (r=.555), and walking (r=.492) the dog predicted increases in PA and walking the dog predicted decreases in depression (r=.521) over the 12 week intervention (all p’s<.05). Participants varied in their participation in each type of dog-related activity. Evidence supports that the PAL program helps preserve/enhance function of AL residents with cognitive impairment.
... Strategies such as volunteer dogwalkers helped to alleviate this, yet the concept of "loaner" dog-walking is under-explored. In one study, researchers found that walking a dog that is not "owned" can have perceived beneficial effects for the walkers (Johnson & Meadows, 2010). It would be useful in future studies to explore experiences of people who walk dogs that are not their own and of people with long-term health conditions who need to use the services of a "loaner" dog-walker. ...
We currently know little about how dog-walking contributes to health and wellbeing of adults living with long-term health conditions. Guided by a conceptual framework of “therapeutic mobilities,” we accompanied 13 adults with diverse long-term health conditions on their usual dog-walk. We captured conversations about health and wellbeing through audio-recordings. Interactions with environment, other humans, and between humans and dogs were captured via video-recordings. We provided each participant with a transcript and video-recording of the dogwalk-along interview and met all participants again for a further seated interview. Guided by participants, we developed a series of themes: a special relationship, motivation (an obligation of love), social isolation and connections, and the dog-walk recipe. From these themes, we developed a model of inter-linked and fluid “therapeutic spaces” through which dogwalking can enhance or diminish wellbeing in people with long-term health conditions. Humans with long-term health conditions develop close relationships with their dogs. This “obligation of love” takes humans in to the Dog-walk space where gentle encounters and pleasant sensations enhance human wellbeing. Further research will identify ways in which people with long-term health conditions might further access dog-walking therapeutic spaces, thereby enhancing therapeutic encounters with other humans, dogs, and the environment.
... www.BorrowMyDoggy.com), fostering, or companion animal policies such as dog walking programs (Johnson & Meadows, 2010), may need to be available to those who cannot look after an animal all of the time (Knight & Edwards, 2008). ...
Maintaining physical activity in later life is important for maintaining health and function. Activity outdoors, such as walking, jogging and cycling, may provide an accessible, sociable and practical solution, but maintaining outdoor mobility may be a challenge in later life. Providing green environments which are supportive of physical activity may facilitate this, yet research into how greenspace could be best used is inconclusive. This study evaluates the role of greenspace in protecting against decline in physical activity over time in older adults. Data from the European Prospective Investigation of Cancer Norfolk, UK, cohort 1993–2009 (N=15,672) was used. Linear regression modelling was used to examine the association between exposure to greenspace in the home neighbourhood and change in overall, recreational and outdoor physical activity measured in terms of metabolic equivalent cost (MET) in hours/week. Mediation analysis was conducted to assess if dog walking explained the relationship between greenspace and physical activity change. Models were adjusted for known and hypothesised confounders. People living in greener neighbourhoods experienced less of a decline in physical activity than those living in less green areas. Comparing change for those living in the greenest versus least green quartiles, participants showed a difference in overall physical activity of 4.21 MET hours/week (trend P=0.001), adjusted for baseline physical activity, age, sex, BMI, social class and marital status. This difference was 4.03 MET hours/week for recreational physical activity (trend P<0.001) and 1.28 MET hours/week for outdoor physical activity (trend P=0.007). Dog walking partially mediated the association between greenspace and physical activity change, by 22.6% for overall, 28.1% for recreational and 50.0% for outdoor physical activity (all P<0.001). Greenspace in the home neighbourhood may be protective against decline in physical activity among older people as they age. Dog walking is a potential mechanism in this relationship, and warrants further investigation as a way of maintaining physical activity in later life.
... www.BorrowMyDoggy.com), fostering, or companion animal policies such as dog walking programs (Johnson & Meadows, 2010), may need to be available to those who cannot look after an animal all of the time (Knight & Edwards, 2008). ...
Maintaining physical activity in later life is important for maintaining health and function. Activity outdoors, such as walking, jogging and cycling, may provide an accessible, sociable and practical solution, but maintaining outdoor mobility may be a challenge in later life. Providing green environments which are supportive of physical activity may facilitate this, yet research into how greenspace could be best used is inconclusive. This study evaluates the role of greenspace in protecting against decline in physical activity over time in older adults.Data from the European Prospective Investigation of Cancer Norfolk, UK, cohort 1993–2009 (N=15,672) was used. Linear regression modelling was used to examine the association between exposure to greenspace in the home neighbourhood and change in overall, recreational and outdoor physical activity measured in terms of metabolic equivalent cost (MET) in hours/week. Mediation analysis was conducted to assess if dog walking explained the relationship between greenspace and physical activity change. Models were adjusted for known and hypothesised confounders.People living in greener neighbourhoods experienced less of a decline in physical activity than those living in less green areas. Comparing change for those living in the greenest versus least green quartiles, participants showed a difference in overall physical activity of 4.21 MET hours/week (trend P=0.001), adjusted for baseline physical activity, age, sex, BMI, social class and marital status. This difference was 4.03 MET hours/week for recreational physical activity (trend P
... In verschiedenen epidemiologische Studien wird berichtet, dass Hundebesitzer körperlich aktiver sind (15)(16)(17). Jedoch konnte dieses Ergebnis in Studien nicht bestätigt werden, da viele Hundebesitzer das von der WHO empfohlene Ausmaß an Bewegungsaktivität nicht erreichen (15,18). Trotz dieser unterschiedlichen Ergebnisse wird vermutet, dass Hundebesitzer gesünder sind, da sie häufig mit ihren Hunden spazieren gehen (19,20). ...
This study examines whether animal-assisted therapy for overweight children who take part in an established multimodal intervention programme provides an additional positive effect. It examines the question of whether the Body Mass Index of obese children (n = 15) can be lowered more using animal-assisted therapy (AAT) than in a control group (n = 14). The effects of AAT on motoric performance and psychosocial aspects were also investigated. Taking into account differences at the start of the animal-assisted intervention between the two groups, a decrease in standardised BMI for the intervention
group after six months of intervention was observed. Animal-assisted therapy also had a positive effect on the sport-related motoric variables of endurance and dexterity. External assessments by the parents of the intervention group showed significant improvements with regard to „antisocial behaviour“, „aggressive behaviour“ and „social problems“. Taken together, the results show that while animal-assisted therapy is an effective therapy component it does not appear to be an „easy“ therapeutic approach for reducing overweight in children. Animal-assisted therapy requires careful planning regarding the persons involved and the participating children.
Research on developing coping strategies and therapeutic interventions is crucial for college students due to the seemingly unavoidable stressors they face as young adults. This chapter proposes the inclusion of on-campus pet companionship in higher educational institutions as an intervention to enhance distress tolerance, psychological resilience, and better-coping strategies among college students. It acknowledges existing research on pet companionship's positive effects on well-being while addressing the concerns about potential negative impacts. The study aims to explore the potential effects of pet companionship on college students, discuss methods for introducing on-campus pet companionship, and identify cost-effective and feasible approaches for implementation.
The purpose of this study was to examine whether dog walking is beneficial for dog owners’ health by providing sufficient physical activity for health benefits and improving their psychological health immediately after dog walking. The sample was comprised of 61 dog walkers who wore an accelerometer for one week on all of their dog walks and completed seven visual analogue scales assessing their psychological health before and after each of their dog walks. Slightly more than half of the time spent dog walking was at the moderate- to vigorous-intensity level recommended for health benefits. Furthermore, through dog walking alone, approximately two in five dog walkers met Canada’s 150-minute physical activity guideline for health benefits. Analyses comparing dog walkers’ psychological health before and after their dog walks revealed an improvement on six out of seven psychological health measures. Dog walkers felt less stressed after walking their dog and experienced an increase in their energy, self-esteem, social life satisfaction and overall life satisfaction as well as a more positive mood. Taken together, these findings provide objective evidence that dog walking is a viable means of attaining the physical activity needed for health benefits and highlight the need to further explore the short-term health benefits of dog walking.
Objective: To investigate the physical activity levels of students enrolled in a standard fitness walking class versus a service-learning dog walking class. Participants: College students (N = 65) from a university in the Southeastern United States (71% female; 85% White; 72% seniors). Methods: Students wore NL-1000 pedometers twice a week for 50 minutes for a full academic year. Service-learning students also completed reflection papers. Pedometer data was analyzed using SPSS and papers were analyzed through inductive coding. Results: Significant differences were found in each quantitative measure collected between classes. Students in the service-learning fitness walking class took more steps, walked further, and obtained more minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity than the students in the standard fitness walking class. Results from student reflections provided insight into why these differences occurred as well as additional student experiences. Conclusions: Incorporating a service component into a physical activity course can be beneficial.
The persuasive game, Travelling Rose, aims to enhance walking activities of elderly residents living in neighbourhoods characterized by a low socioeconomic status. The game consists of a wooden pass-on box containing user-reports and instructions on how to find a companion, how to generate a surprise together, how to give this surprise a fellow neighbourhood member, and how to pass on the Travelling Rose box. The persuasive catch of the Travelling Rose is present when the companions are generating the surprise and are instructed to take a walk in the neighbourhood for easing social communication and flourishing creative ideas. In this chapter, the design process leading to the final version of the Travelling Rose is described, involving user studies, concept testing, and iterative prototyping. Secondly, the final prototype is presented and framed using the theoretical Persuasive Game Design model.
Objective:
To investigate the physical activity levels and experiences of students enrolled in a service-learning dog walking class. Participants: College students (N = 10) from a rural university in the Eastern United States (age = 20.8 years ±1.2; 80% female; 90% White). Method: Students wore NL-1000 pedometers twice a week for 50 minutes for ten weeks. They also completed reflection papers at the end of the class. Pedometer data was analyzed using Microsoft Excel and the papers were analyzed through inductive coding. Results: Students obtained approximately 40% of their recommended daily physical activity requirements during class time. Reflection papers revealed that student beliefs about shelter dogs were challenged and that their primary motivations for attending class involved the physical activity needs of the dogs. Conclusions: Incorporating a service component into a physical activity course whereby the physical activity needs of others are the focus can be beneficial for all involved.
This study examined whether the number of steps taken by frail older adults increased after two types of interventions (custom-made daily routine [CDR] vs. exercise) were conducted over 12 weeks. The participants were 36 frail older adults aged 84.5 ± 6.0 years who attended a day-care center. They were assigned to one of three groups: CDR ( n = 13), home-based exercise (HE, n = 10), or control (CON, n = 13). A wrist-worn accelerometer was used to measure their step count in 24 hr for 6 days. The CDR group demonstrated a daily step count change of approximately 25%, which was significantly higher than that of the CON group (effect size [ r ] = .51, p = .040). There were no significant changes in the HE group. Thus, a CDR might be useful for increasing the number of steps in frail older adults.
Background:
Workplace walking interventions can lead to positive physical and psychological outcomes for employees. For optimal success, however, innovative approaches that appeal to employees are needed.
Objective:
The purpose of this study was to assess the physical activity levels and experiences of university staff members who walked shelter dogs during their lunch breaks.
Method:
Participants walked with a dog and a partner for 30 minutes during their lunch break one day a week for four weeks. Accelerometer data was collected during participant walks and interviews conducted post-intervention.
Results:
Quantitative results indicated that participants averaged 24.9±7.4 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (range 12- 37 min) during the walk. Qualitative findings suggested that the incorporation of shelter dogs into a walking intervention encouraged participants to take part in the study and continue each week.
Conclusions:
Both the quantitative and qualitative data from this pilot study support the notion that including shelter dogs into a university-based walking program encouraged physical activity engagement and adherence.
Physical activity behavior change theorists are actively shifting the field to better align with the science of motivation and decision making. With this shift has come increasing interest in the role of affective judgments, habit, and identity in long-term physical activity maintenance, as well as the importance of framing physical activity in ways that protect autonomy and support personal values. This special communication makes the case for dog walking as a physical activity modality that fits well with the field's new focus. The authors provide an overview of dog walking research performed to date and discuss unanswered research questions. Given the large percentage of U.S. households that own a dog and the mainstream animal welfare movement to rehome adoptable shelter pets, there are innumerable opportunities to leverage the human-dog bond to increase physical activity levels.
Dog walking interventions may be a highly practical approach to population-level physical activity promotion.
Despite overwhelming evidence of the importance of physical activity, only 20% of US adults meet physical activity recommendations. A subsector of the population vulnerable to inactivity is college students. There is a disconnect between evidence-based physical activity programming and dissemination into college communities, which may be overcome through logic model development and evaluation. The purpose of this paper is to discuss logic model development for a service-learning, dog walking program for undergraduates. Participants were undergraduates (18-25 years). Process evaluations and observational data were used in a content analysis to determine major themes to create the logic model. A set of resources were needed to complete program activities, which led to short- and long-term outcomes. The overarching goal of the program is to improve the overall health status of college students and companion animals. This logic model may have significant public health impact as it can serve as a framework for universities wanting to develop, implement, and evaluate a service-learning, dog walking program for students.
Způsoby a kvalita prožívání volného času jsou často předmětem výzkumu v různých sociálních vědách. Volný čas je především zájmem sociologů, ale stále častěji se jeho zkoumání objevuje i v jiných oborech, např. v psychologii, ekonomii, pedagogice či andragogice. Zájem výzkumníků svědčí o tom, že volný čas je důležitou součástí života a že zdaleka není plně doceněn a výzkumně zpracován. Jedním z problémů, na něž narážíme při snaze o porozumění výsledkům výzkumů volného času, je obtížné srovnání závěrů realizovaných výzkumů. Abychom předešli metodologické nejednotnosti v přístupu ke zkoumání volného času, předkládáme čtenářům Katalog volnočasových aktivit. Věříme, že se stane nástrojem zejména pro komparativní studie a přinese tak užitek v podobě hlubšího porozumění fenoménu volného času.
Ways and quality of leisure experiencing are often subject of research. It is mostly interested by sociologists but more often it is researched by other social sciences as well. Researchers are interested in the fact that leisure is not entirely evaluated and completely explored. One of problems we recognize when trying to understand the results of leisure research already carried out is the impossibility to compare results of this research, because of a huge variety of leisure and wide partition of leisure activities. To prevent methodological variety in researching leisure we offer to researchers The Catalogue of Leisure Activities. We believe it could be a suitable instrument especially for comparative research studies and will bring the deeper understanding the leisure phenomena.
The Central Oklahoma Humane Society (OK Humane) is looking to assess the potential economic, community, and public health impacts of building and operating an innovative animal sheltering concept called the Compassion Center in downtown Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Using Impact Analysis for Planning (IMPLAN) software, this report quantifies the proposed center’s direct, indirect, and induced effects on the economy of Oklahoma City.
In addition to the economic impact calculated with IMPLAN, this paper also explores urban amenity complex and One Health (connectivity between people, animals and the environment) impacts, both economic and otherwise, which could result from the Compassion Center’s presence. This paper concludes that the proposed Compassion Center would have an overwhelmingly positive economic and community impact on both the people and homeless companion animals of Oklahoma City.
Our study evaluated the effects on the prefrontal cortex, especially the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), of people when touching and stroking a real or soft toy cat, using functional near infrared spectroscopy. Thirty under-graduate students (10 males, 20 females) were recruited and performed three tactile tasks with a real cat and a soft toy cat using their right hand. They also filled in the Self-Assessment Manikin (SAM), to measure their emotional responses, and the NEO-Five Factor Inventory, to assess their personalities. During the tactile interactions with the real cat, the integral values of oxygenated hemoglobin in the left IFG of the females were significantly greater than in the males. The valence scores of the SAM after the real cat-associated tasks in females were significantly higher than after the toy cat-associated tasks. Additionally, the number of times the females stroked the real cat was significantly positively correlated with the activation levels of the left IFG and the valence scores of the SAM. The activation levels of the left IFG in females were also positively correlated with neuroticism when stroking the real cat. Thus, in females, especially those with higher levels of neuroticism, touching/stroking the cat improved their mood. The effects of interacting with a cat may be different between the genders.
Nowadays being healthy is understood as a state of physical, mental and social wellbeing over the absence of conditions and diseases. Animal-assisted activity (AAA) meets the actual concept of being healthy and it has been used for several years as a complementary measure to the pharmacological treatment, aiming at patient's recovery and well-being. The AAA's efficacy has been reported worldwide in areas such as pediatrics, geriatrics, psychiatry, among others, proved beneficial both at physical and psychic levels of institutionalized individuals. This study aimed to identify studies published until 2013 about AAA, in 5 important databases (Bireme, Cochrane, Embase Pubmed and Scielo), using the term "Animal-assisted activity" Duplicate articles in the same database, one article written in Japanese, one in German and the articles focused on therapy assisted by animals were excluded. A total of 55 articles were found from five databases: Bireme (28), Embase (13), Cochrane (1), Pubmed (11) e Scielo (2). Only 17 articles fulfilled the pre established criteria. All displayed positive results in applying Animal-assisted activity to sick or socially isolated individuals. It was concluded that this practice, despite it's importance supporting the patient's well-being and being recognized in several countries, it is still not widely widespread scientifically.
Over the last 20 years, studies exploring the links between human health, companion animals, and nature suggest that we must expand our definition of the human psychosocial environment to include the impact of animals and nature on human adaptation and wellbeing. One would think that the social work profession’s person-in-environment perspective — a primary practice construct — would uniquely position social workers to understand and leverage the reciprocal relationship between humans and their environments (Besthorn, 2000; Besthorn & Saleeby, 2003). Yet, the field’s emphasis on a human-centric social environment has neglected the influence of animals and natural ecosystems on individual, family, and community health (Coates, 2003). Besthorn and Saleebey (2003, p. 10) assert that this narrow focus leads practitioners to ignore the resources found in relationship to the nonhuman animals with whom we have a shared ecology: ‘When we do not respect the worth of the natural environment, we do not respect the worth and dignity of the people who reside in and depend upon it.’ Risley-Curtiss (2010) reveals what this myopia looks like in practice: while many social workers report having a basic knowledge of human-animal relationships, only one-third routinely ask about animals during client assessment, and only 23 per cent integrate animals in any form of client treatment.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the ability of two concurrent randomized controlled interventions based on social cognitive theory to increase walking. A second purpose was to compare the efficacy of the intervention between two distinct groups: dog owners and non-dog owners. Adult dog owners (n = 40) and non-dog owners (n = 65) were randomized into control or intervention groups. Intervention groups received bi-weekly emails for first 4 weeks and then weekly email for the next 8 weeks targeting self-efficacy, social support, goal setting, and benefits/barriers to walking. Dog owner messages focused on dog walking while non-dog owners received general walking messages. Control groups received a 1-time email reviewing current physical activity guidelines. At 6 months, both intervention groups reported greater increases in walking and maintained these increases at 12 months. The greatest increases were seen in the dog owner intervention group. In conclusion, dog owners accumulated more walking, which may be attributed to the dog–owner relationship.
To determine the benefits of social support for weight loss and maintenance, this study recruited participants (N = 166) either alone or with 3 friends or family members and then randomly assigned them to a standard behavioral treatment (SBT) or SBT with social support strategies. Participants recruited with friends had greater weight losses at the end of the 4-month treatment and at Month 10 follow-up. Both recruitment strategy and the social support manipulation affected treatment completion and weight-loss maintenance. In those recruited alone and given SBT, 76% completed treatment and 24% maintained their weight loss in full from Months 4 to 10. Among those recruited with friends and given SBT plus social support, 95% completed treatment and 66% maintained their weight loss in full.
A 10-month prospective study was carried out which examined changes in behaviour and health status in 71 adult subjects following the acquisition of a new pet (either dogs or cats). A group of 26 subjects without pets served as a comparison over the same period. Both pet-owning groups reported a highly significant reduction in minor health problems during the first month following pet acquisition, and this effect was sustained in dog owners through to 10 months. The pet-acquiring groups also showed improvements in their scores on the 30-item General Health Questionnaire over the first 6 months and, in dog owners, this improvement was maintained until 10 months. In addition, dog owners took considerably more physical exercise while walking their dogs than the other two groups, and this effect continued throughout the period of study. The group without pets exhibited no statistically significant changes in health or behaviour, apart from a small increase in recreational walking. The results provide evidence that pet acquisition may have positive effects on human health and behaviour, and that in some cases these effects are relatively long term.
A 10-month prospective study was carried out which examined changes in behaviour and health status in 71 adult subjects following the acquisition of a new pet (either dogs or cats). A group of 26 subjects without pets served as a comparison over the same period. Both pet-owning groups reported a highly significant reduction in minor health problems during the first month following pet acquisition, and this effect was sustained in dog owners through to 10 months. The pet-acquiring groups also showed improvements in their scores on the 30-item General Health Questionnaire over the first 6 months and, in dog owners, this improvement was maintained until 10 months. In addition, dog owners took considerably more physical exercise while walking their dogs than the other two groups, and this effect continued throughout the period of study. The group without pets exhibited no statistically significant changes in health or behaviour, apart from a small increase in recreational walking. The results provide evidence that pet acquisition may have positive effects on human health and behaviour, and that in some cases these effects are relatively long term.
Although disuse of skeletal muscle and undernutrition are often cited as potentially reversible causes of frailty in elderly people, the efficacy of interventions targeted specifically at these deficits has not been carefully studied.
We conducted a randomized, placebo-controlled trial comparing progressive resistance exercise training, multinutrient supplementation, both interventions, and neither in 100 frail nursing home residents over a 10-week period.
The mean (+/- SE) age of the 63 women and 37 men enrolled in the study was 87.1 +/- 0.6 years (range, 72 to 98); 94 percent of the subjects completed the study. Muscle strength increased by 113 +/- 8 percent in the subjects who underwent exercise training, as compared with 3 +/- 9 percent in the nonexercising subjects (P < 0.001). Gait velocity increased by 11.8 +/- 3.8 percent in the exercisers but declined by 1.0 +/- 3.8 percent in the nonexercisers (P = 0.02). Stair-climbing power also improved in the exercisers as compared with the nonexercisers (by 28.4 +/- 6.6 percent vs. 3.6 +/- 6.7 percent, P = 0.01), as did the level of spontaneous physical activity. Cross-sectional thigh-muscle area increased by 2.7 +/- 1.8 percent in the exercisers but declined by 1.8 +/- 2.0 percent in the nonexercisers (P = 0.11). The nutritional supplement had no effect on any primary outcome measure. Total energy intake was significantly increased only in the exercising subjects who also received nutritional supplementation.
High-intensity resistance exercise training is a feasible and effective means of counteracting muscle weakness and physical frailty in very elderly people. In contrast, multi-nutrient supplementation without concomitant exercise does not reduce muscle weakness or physical frailty.
The number of adults in their 50s and 60s in the United States who do not have health insurance is increasing. This group may be particularly vulnerable to the ill effects of being uninsured.
We conducted a prospective cohort study using files from the Health and Retirement Study, a national survey of adults who were 51 to 61 years old in 1992. We determined the risks of a major decline in overall health and of the development of new physical difficulties between 1992 and 1996 for participants who were continuously uninsured (uninsured in 1992 and in 1994), those who were intermittently uninsured (uninsured either in 1992 or in 1994), and those who were continuously insured. We used logistic regression to determine the independent effects of being uninsured on health outcomes after adjustment for base-line sociodemographic factors, preexisting medical conditions, and types of health-related behavior such as smoking and alcohol use.
We analyzed data for 7577 participants. The 717 continuously uninsured participants and the 825 intermittently uninsured participants were more likely than the 6035 continuously insured participants to have a major decline in overall health between 1992 and 1996 (21.6 percent, 16.1 percent, and 8.3 percent of the three groups, respectively; P<0.001 for both comparisons). According to a multivariate analysis, the adjusted relative risk of a major decline in overall health was 1.63 (95 percent confidence interval, 1.26 to 2.08) for continuously uninsured participants and 1.41 (95 percent confidence interval, 1.11 to 1.78) for intermittently uninsured participants, as compared with continuously insured participants. A new difficulty in walking or climbing stairs was also more likely to develop in the continuously or intermittently uninsured participants than in the continuously insured participants (28.8 percent, 26.4 percent, and 17.1 percent of the three groups, respectively; P<0.001 for both comparisons). The adjusted relative risk of such a new physical difficulty was 1.23 (95 percent confidence interval, 1.02 to 1.47) for the continuously uninsured participants and 1.26 (95 percent confidence interval, 1.01 to 1.54) for the intermittently uninsured participants.
The lack of health insurance is associated with an increased risk of a decline in overall health among adults 51 to 61 years old.
Animal visitation programs have been used in a wide variety of clinical settings with predominantly positive outcomes reported anecdotally. However, there is also a growing body of research investigating the effects of these interventions. Developing and conducting rigorous studies of animal interventions can be a complex and challenging process, The purpose of this article is to identify and discuss several issues arising with this type of research and to posit suggestions for avoiding pitfalls.
The long-distance corridor walk is a timed 400-meter walk test used to assess walking endurance in well-functioning men and women aged 70-79 in the Health, Aging and Body Composition Study.
We examined walking time along with heart rate and blood pressure response in relationship to prevalent chronic conditions, weight, physical activity, and markers of subclinical disease. Of 3075 participants, 2324 (76%) completed the test with heart rate and blood pressure responses in the range expected for a moderate level of exertion.
Slower walking time was influenced by both clinical and subclinical disease, and also was strongly related to both low and high body weight and low self-reported physical activity. Heart rate and blood pressure responses were higher with several clinical and subclinical diseases, but heart rate response and recovery were more strongly related to walking time than to disease. Higher body mass index and lower physical activity were associated with greater heart rate response and recovery.
The independent contribution of both clinical and subclinical disease to walking time supports the use of walking tests as a summary measure of disease in older adults. The independent association of walking time with physical activity suggests that it is sensitive to levels of fitness as well. Together these findings show that walking performance is a valid indicator of physiologic reserve in older adults.
We evaluated perceived social and environmental supports for physical activity and walking using multivariable modeling. Perceptions were obtained on a sample of households in a southeastern county. Respondents were classified according to physical activity levels and walking behaviors. Respondents who had good street lighting; trusted their neighbors; and used private recreational facilities, parks, playgrounds, and sports fields were more likely to be regularly active. Perceiving neighbors as being active, having access to sidewalks, and using malls were associated with regular walking.
The prevalence of overweight and obesity has increased markedly in the last 2 decades in the United States.
To update the US prevalence estimates of overweight in children and obesity in adults, using the most recent national data of height and weight measurements.
As part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), a complex multistage probability sample of the US noninstitutionalized civilian population, both height and weight measurements were obtained from 4115 adults and 4018 children in 1999-2000 and from 4390 adults and 4258 children in 2001-2002.
Prevalence of overweight (body mass index [BMI] > or =95th percentile of the sex-specific BMI-for-age growth chart) among children and prevalence of overweight (BMI, 25.0-29.9), obesity (BMI > or =30.0), and extreme obesity (BMI > or =40.0) among adults by sex, age, and racial/ethnic group.
Between 1999-2000 and 2001-2002, there were no significant changes among adults in the prevalence of overweight or obesity (64.5% vs 65.7%), obesity (30.5% vs 30.6%), or extreme obesity (4.7% vs 5.1%), or among children aged 6 through 19 years in the prevalence of at risk for overweight or overweight (29.9% vs 31.5%) or overweight (15.0% vs 16.5%). Overall, among adults aged at least 20 years in 1999-2002, 65.1% were overweight or obese, 30.4% were obese, and 4.9% were extremely obese. Among children aged 6 through 19 years in 1999-2002, 31.0% were at risk for overweight or overweight and 16.0% were overweight. The NHANES results indicate continuing disparities by sex and between racial/ethnic groups in the prevalence of overweight and obesity.
There is no indication that the prevalence of obesity among adults and overweight among children is decreasing. The high levels of overweight among children and obesity among adults remain a major public health concern.
The author discusses 3 variables that assess different aspects of social relationships—social support, social integration, and negative interaction. The author argues that all 3 are associated with health outcomes, that these variables each influence health through different mechanisms, and that associations between these variables and health are not spurious findings attributable to our personalities. This argument suggests a broader view of how to intervene in social networks to improve health. This includes facilitating both social integration and social support by creating and nurturing both close (strong) and peripheral (weak) ties within natural social networks and reducing opportunities for negative social interaction. Finally, the author emphasizes the necessity to understand more about who benefits most and least from social- connectedness interventions.
Dog ownership may be an effective tailored intervention among adults for promoting physical activity. This study examined the relationship between walking, physical activity levels, and potential psychological mediators between people who owned dogs and those who did not own dogs in the Capital Region District of Greater Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Data were collected in September 2004; analyses were conducted in January 2005.
A random sample of men (n=177) and women (n=174) aged 20 to 80 years participated. Questionnaires were mailed out in 2004 to collect information about demographics, dog ownership, leisure-time walking, physical activity levels, and theory of planned behavior (TPB) constructs.
The analyses revealed that dog owners spent more time in mild and moderate physical activities and walked an average of 300 minutes per week compared to non-dog owners who walked an average of 168 minutes per week. A mediator analysis suggests that dog obligation acts as a mediator between dog ownership and physical activity. Moreover, the theory of planned behavior constructs of intention and perceived behavioral control explained 13% of the variance in walking behavior with an additional 11% variance in walking behavior being explained by dog obligation. Regarding intention to walk, the TPB explained 46% of the variance in intention to walk with dog obligation adding an additional 1% variance.
In this group of Canadians, those who owned a dog participated in more mild to moderate physical activity than those who did not. Acquiring a dog should be explored as an intervention to get people more physically active.
In this review, we develop a blueprint for exercise biology research in the new millennium. The first part of our plan provides statistics to support the contention that there has been an epidemic emergence of modern chronic diseases in the latter part of the 20th century. The health care costs of these conditions were almost two-thirds of a trillion dollars and affected 90 million Americans in 1990. We estimate that these costs are now approaching $1 trillion and stand to further dramatically increase as the baby boom generation ages. We discuss the reaction of the biomedical establishment to this epidemic, which has primarily been to apply modern technologies to stabilize overt clinical problems (e.g., secondary and tertiary prevention). Because this approach has been largely unsuccessful in reversing the epidemic, we argue that more emphasis must be placed on novel approaches such as primary prevention, which requires attacking the environmental roots of these conditions. In this respect, a strong association exists between the increase in physical inactivity and the emergence of modern chronic diseases in 20th century industrialized societies. Approximately 250,000 deaths per year in the United States are premature due to physical inactivity. Epidemiological data have established that physical inactivity increases the incidence of at least 17 unhealthy conditions, almost all of which are chronic diseases or considered risk factors for chronic diseases. Therefore, as part of this review, we present the concept that the human genome evolved within an environment of high physical activity. Accordingly, we propose that exercise biologists do not study “the effect of physical activity” but in reality study the effect of reintroducing exercise into an unhealthy sedentary population that is genetically programmed to expect physical activity. On the basis of healthy gene function, exercise research should thus be viewed from a nontraditional perspective in that the “control” group should actually be taken from a physically active population and not from a sedentary population with its predisposition to modern chronic diseases. We provide exciting examples of exercise biology research that is elucidating the underlying mechanisms by which physical inactivity may predispose individuals to chronic disease conditions, such as mechanisms contributing to insulin resistance and decreased skeletal muscle lipoprotein lipase activity. Some findings have been surprising and remarkable in that novel signaling mechanisms have been discovered that vary with the type and level of physical activity/inactivity at multiple levels of gene expression. Because this area of research is underfunded despite its high impact, the final part of our blueprint for the next millennium calls for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to establish a major initiative devoted to the study of the biology of the primary prevention of modern chronic diseases. We justify this in several ways, including the following estimate: if the percentage of all US morbidity and mortality statistics attributed to the combination of physical inactivity and inappropriate diet were applied as a percentage of the NIH's total operating budget, the resulting funds would equal the budgets of two full institutes at the NIH! Furthermore, the fiscal support of studies elucidating the scientific foundation(s) targeted by primary prevention strategies in other public health efforts has resulted in an increased efficacy of the overall prevention effort. We estimate that physical inactivity impacts 80–90% of the 24 integrated review group (IRG) topics proposed by the NIH's Panel on Scientific Boundaries for Review, which is currently directing a major restructuring of the NIH's scientific funding system. Unfortunately, the primary prevention of chronic disease and the investigation of physical activity/inactivity and/or exercise are not mentioned in the almost 200 total subtopics comprising the IRGs in the Panel's proposal. We believe this to be a glaring omission by the Panel and contend that the current reorganization of NIH's scientific review and funding system is a golden opportunity to invest in fields that study the biological mechanisms of primary prevention of chronic diseases (such as exercise biology). This would be an investment to avoid US health care system bankruptcy as well as to reduce the extreme human suffering caused by chronic diseases. In short, it would be an investment in the future of health care in the new millennium.
Despite the remarkable advances in our understanding of the many healthrelated benefits of physical activity, adherence ligures in formal exercise programs have continued to average about 50% over the past three decades. It is proposed in the present paper lhat a paradigm shift is needed since traditional exercise prescription models have been in effective. The proposed pafadigm shift calls for the adoption of (a) an idiographic approach as opposed to the conventional nomothetic model in place at the present time. (b) preferred exertion rather than a given percent of maximum in the prescription of exercise intensity. and (c) purposeful physical activity as opposed to the nonpurposeful approaches characteristic of many formal exercise programs. A summary of ten cases is presented, and this qualitative research reveals adherence figures ranging from 5 to 79 years. The remarkable adherence ol 100% is characterized by adoption of purposeful physical activity by these individuals.
The association between vigorous exercise and certain aspects of mental health is well documented. Explanations for this relationship are not well understood, however, and recent developments in sport psychology suggest a renewed interest in health-related topics. Paradoxically, the more fundamental or prerequisite issue of exercise adherence has received little attention from a psychological perspective. Moreover, the research related to adherence has tended ro be atheoretical and unsystematic. The following discussion is designed to reinforce the significance of understanding influences on habitual exercise behavior and to characterize the nature of previous research in this area. An attempt is also made to provide some heuristic advantages which may facilitate future study of the exercise adherence question at both basic and applied levels.
It is known that pet dogs can act as catalysts for human social interactions, and it has been suggested that this may enhance feelings of well-being. Two studies were carried out to establish the robustness of this effect. In Study 1, a highly trained dog was used to ensure that the dog itself did not solicit attention from passers-by, and data were collected across a range of normal daily activities in which a dog could be included, not confined to conventional dog walking areas as in previous studies. Being accompanied by a dog increased the frequency of social interactions, especially interactions with strangers. In Study 2, also using a trained dog, a different (male) participant observer was dressed either smartly or scruffily. Although there were significantly more interactions when he was smartly dressed, the greatest effect was between the Dog present and No Dog conditions irrespective of the handler's dress. It is concluded that the social catalysis effect is very robust, which opens the way for investigating possible consequences of the effect for wellbeing and health.
Objective:
To describe the prevalence of dog walking in New South Wales, and to identify potential health gains if more dogs were walked.
Design:
Cross-sectional analytical survey.
Setting and participants:
894 adults in NSW in 1998 (among the owners of approximately two million domestic dogs in NSW who were potential participants in dog-walking behaviours).
Interventions:
None yet.
Main outcome measures:
Dog walking hours per week; other DogEpi concepts to illustrate the public health gains include the DAF (dog attributable fraction), and the BBR (benefits to bites ratio).
Results:
The response rate to the survey was 74%. 46% of households in NSW had a dog and, overall, dog owners walked 18 minutes per week more than non-dog owners. However, more than half of dog owners did not walk their dogs, and were less likely than non-owners to meet recommended levels of physical activity sufficient for health benefits. If all dog owners walked their dogs, substantial disease prevention and healthcare cost savings of $175 million per year might accrue.
Conclusions:
There are potential benefits of dog walking for human health; currently, among dog owners, much of this benefit remains to be realised. There are also likely benefits for canine health. Dog walking should be promoted through national strategies recommending "Walkies for all by the year 2010".
The present study adopted a social cognitive framework to examine the role played by perceptions of personal efficacy in adherence to exercise behavior in sedentary middle-aged adults. Subjects were followed for 5 months in order to study the process of exercise as it moved through the adoption to maintenance stage of the behavior. Participation rates paralleled those reported elsewhere in the literature. Path analytic techniques examined the role over time of efficacy, perceptual, and behavioral indicators of frequency and intensity of exercise. Self-efficacy cognitions were shown to predict adoption of exercise behavior but previous behavior proved to be the strongest predictor of subsequent exercise participation. Results are discussed in terms of examining process versus static design models in exercise and physical activity research. Implications for future research and health promotion are suggested.
The purpose of this study was to develop measures of perceived social support specific to health-related eating and exercise behaviors. In Study I, specific supportive and nonsupportive behaviors were identified through interviews with 40 individuals making health-behavior changes. In Study II, items derived from the interviews were administered to 171 subjects. Support from family and friends was assessed separately for both diet and exercise habits. Meaningful factors were identified for each of the four scales, and some factors were similar for family and friend scales. Both test-retest and internal consistency reliabilities were acceptable, and six factors can be used as subscales. Social support scales were correlated with respective self-reported dietary and exercise habits, providing evidence of concurrent criterion-related validity. A measure of general social support was not related to the specific social support scales or to reported health habits. These scales are among the first measures of social support behaviors specific to dietary- and exercise-habit change.
The role played by exercise self-efficacy in the maintenance of exercise participation of previously sedentary middle-aged adults 4 months after the termination of a formal exercise program is reported. Correlational and multiple regression analyses examined the influence of self-efficacy, physiological (aerobic capacity, sex, body composition), and behavioral (past exercise frequency and intensity) parameters in the maintenance of exercise participation. Self-efficacy significantly predicted exercise behavior at follow-up when controlling for biological and behavioral influences. Aerobic capacity, exercise efficacy, and exercise behavior in combination were significantly related to current energy expenditure in aerobic physical activity. The discussion focuses on the need to examine the impact of different correlates of exercise behavior at different stages of the exercise process.
The familiar adage "pets are good for your health" is an interesting but largely untested theory. A new model was developed, based on pet ownership leads to better self care, to show possible associations between pet ownership with eating, exercise, nutritional status, and specific cardiovascular risk factors. Seniors aged sixty and above were solicited mainly at senior congregate meals program sites in north-central Colorado (n = 127) to participate in this cross-sectional, observational study. Statistical analyses of questionnaire, anthropometric, physiological, and biochemical data were performed. Dog owners walked significantly longer than non-owners (p < 0.05), and pet owners had significantly lower serum triglycerides than non-owners (p < 0.01). Results suggest that pets may be good for your health.
To determine the benefits of social support for weight loss and maintenance, this study recruited participants (N = 166) either alone or with 3 friends or family members and then randomly assigned them to a standard behavioral treatment (SBT) or SBT with social support strategies. Participants recruited with friends had greater weight losses at the end of the 4-month treatment and at Month 10 follow-up. Both recruitment strategy and the social support manipulation affected treatment completion and weight-loss maintenance. In those recruited alone and given SBT, 76% completed treatment and 24% maintained their weight loss in full from Months 4 to 10. Among those recruited with friends and given SBT plus social support, 95% completed treatment and 66% maintained their weight loss in full.
In this review, we develop a blueprint for exercise biology research in the new millennium. The first part of our plan provides statistics to support the contention that there has been an epidemic emergence of modern chronic diseases in the latter part of the 20th century. The health care costs of these conditions were almost two-thirds of a trillion dollars and affected 90 million Americans in 1990. We estimate that these costs are now approaching $1 trillion and stand to further dramatically increase as the baby boom generation ages. We discuss the reaction of the biomedical establishment to this epidemic, which has primarily been to apply modern technologies to stabilize overt clinical problems (e.g., secondary and tertiary prevention). Because this approach has been largely unsuccessful in reversing the epidemic, we argue that more emphasis must be placed on novel approaches such as primary prevention, which requires attacking the environmental roots of these conditions. In this respect, a strong association exists between the increase in physical inactivity and the emergence of modern chronic diseases in 20th century industrialized societies. Approximately 250,000 deaths per year in the United States are premature due to physical inactivity. Epidemiological data have established that physical inactivity increases the incidence of at least 17 unhealthy conditions, almost all of which are chronic diseases or considered risk factors for chronic diseases. Therefore, as part of this review, we present the concept that the human genome evolved within an environment of high physical activity. Accordingly, we propose that exercise biologists do not study "the effect of physical activity" but in reality study the effect of reintroducing exercise into an unhealthy sedentary population that is genetically programmed to expect physical activity. On the basis of healthy gene function, exercise research should thus be viewed from a nontraditional perspective in that the "control" group should actually be taken from a physically active population and not from a sedentary population with its predisposition to modern chronic diseases. We provide exciting examples of exercise biology research that is elucidating the underlying mechanisms by which physical inactivity may predispose individuals to chronic disease conditions, such as mechanisms contributing to insulin resistance and decreased skeletal muscle lipoprotein lipase activity. Some findings have been surprising and remarkable in that novel signaling mechanisms have been discovered that vary with the type and level of physical activity/inactivity at multiple levels of gene expression. Because this area of research is underfunded despite its high impact, the final part of our blueprint for the next millennium calls for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to establish a major initiative devoted to the study of the biology of the primary prevention of modern chronic diseases. We justify this in several ways, including the following estimate: if the percentage of all US morbidity and mortality statistics attributed to the combination of physical inactivity and inappropriate diet were applied as a percentage of the NIH's total operating budget, the resulting funds would equal the budgets of two full institutes at the NIH! Furthermore, the fiscal support of studies elucidating the scientific foundation(s) targeted by primary prevention strategies in other public health efforts has resulted in an increased efficacy of the overall prevention effort. We estimate that physical inactivity impacts 80-90% of the 24 integrated review group (IRG) topics proposed by the NIH's Panel on Scientific Boundaries for Review, which is currently directing a major restructuring of the NIH's scientific funding system. Unfortunately, the primary prevention of chronic disease and the investigation of physical activity/inactivity and/or exercise are not mentioned in the almost 200 total subtopics comprising t
“ If I'd known I was going to live this long, I'd have taken better care of myself .” Eubie Blake
Sedentary persons who improve their physical fitness are less likely to die of all causes and of cardiovascular disease than are those who remain sedentary. There now exists a wealth of data demonstrating that physical activity and exercise may ameliorate disease and delay decline in function in the geriatric population. We review evidence that exercise can improve body composition, diminish falls, increase strength, reduce depression, reduce arthritis pain, reduce risks for diabetes and coronary artery disease, and improve longevity. However, many healthcare professionals do not feel adequately prepared to design and prescribe exercise programs for their patients. This review provides a basic overview of the benefits of exercise in the geriatric population and guidelines indicating how to prescribe and facilitate adherence to an exercise program. Healthcare providers are strongly encouraged to promote a less sedentary life style for their older patients, which may augment quality of life in these older individuals. J Am Geriatr Soc 48: 318–324, 2000 .
Physically active lifestyles are regularly associated with improved health and quality of life. Differences in lifestyles in society can partly be understood through the differences in the social and physical environment. This study examines the relationships between reported physical activity, and the extent of perceived support for physical activity in the physical and policy environment (e.g. facilities, programmes and other opportunities), and in the social environment. The data for the study come from a cross-cultural health policy study called MAREPS. In total, 3342 adults, 18 years or older, from six countries (Belgium, Finland, Germany, The Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland) were interviewed via telephone. Respondents were categorised as active or inactive according to self-reported physical activity. Social environmental factors and physical and policy environmental factors were also assessed. The analysis of the data was informed by social cognitive theory, although the study was not originally designed for this purpose. Sixty-eight percent of females and 70% of males were active. The proportions of active and inactive varied by countries to a great extent. The strongest independent predictor of being physically active was social environment. Those who perceived low social support from their personal environment (i.e. family, friends, school and workplace) were more than twice as likely to be sedentary compared to those who reported high social support from their personal environment. Specific knowledge of the programmes and actions for physical activity and sport was also a strong predictor of being active. A supportive physical and policy environment was not associated with participation in physical activity as strongly as had been anticipated. The variation between countries was stronger predictor of being active than the physical and policy environment variables. This study generates the hypotheses and raises the questions that in a preliminary way, there appears to be some relationships between aspects of physical and social environment and physical activity participation. However, future research is needed to refine and clarify this.
This paper examines healthy life expectancy by gender and education for whites and African Americans in the United States at three dates: 1970, 1980 and 1990. There are large racial and educational differences in healthy life expectancy at each date and differences by education in healthy life expectancy are even larger than differences in total life expectancy. Large racial differences exist in healthy life expectancy at lower levels of education. Educational differences in healthy life expectancy have been increasing over time because of widening differentials in both mortality and morbidity. In the last decade, a compression of morbidity has begun among those of higher educational status; those of lower status are still experiencing expansion of morbidity.
The purpose of the present study was to determine the extent to which modifiable social learning constructs predicted long-term adherence to an exercise program in older individuals. Participants were 189 women aged 59 to 78 years and diagnosed with low bone density. Exercise behavior was assessed at 3-month intervals. Self-efficacy, readiness for change, orientation toward exercise, social support in general, and support specifically for exercise were measured at baseline and at 12-month follow-up. Analyses indicated that initial adoption of exercise behavior was best predicted by readiness to change. Maintenance was predicted by self-efficacy for exercise, and exercise behavior at 12 months was predicted by social support for exercise. The results were seen as supportive of the stages and processes of change model of health behavior change. Implications of the findings for interventions to enhance adoption and maintenance of exercise programs by older women are discussed.
This review applied meta-analytic procedures to integrate primary research findings that test interventions to increase activity among aging adults.
We performed extensive literature searching strategies and located published and unpublished intervention studies that measured the activity behavior of at least five participants with a mean age of 60 years or greater. Primary study results were coded, and meta-analytic procedures were conducted.
The overall effect size, weighted by sample size, was d(w) = .26 +/- .05. Effect sizes were larger when interventions targeted only activity behavior, excluded general health education, incorporated self-monitoring, used center-based exercise, recommended moderate intensity activity, were delivered in groups, used intense contact between interventionists and participants, and targeted patient populations. Effect sizes were larger for studies that measured exercise duration and studies with a time interval of less than 90 days between intervention and behavior measurement.
These findings suggest that group-delivered interventions should encourage moderate activity, incorporate self-monitoring, target only activity, and encourage center-based activity. Findings also suggest that patient populations may be especially receptive to activity interventions. Primary research testing interventions in randomized trials to confirm causal relationships would be constructive.
The majority of thefindings regarding pet ownership, interaction, and the human-animal bond have involved only Caucasians or have included other ethnic group members only incidentally. The extent to which older adultsfrom other ethnic groups may benefitfrom pet ownership and interaction is unclear. If the benefits of human-animal interaction are to be used effectively in promoting health and preventing illness, it is necessary to identify the "boundaries" of effectiveness for this interaction across various populations. The present study is an initial effort at describing one ethnic minority group, Latino pet owners, the extent of their relationships with their pet, and the extent to which these relationships may be beneficial in facilitating health. Twenty-four Latinos over age 50 were studied and are described in terms of their demographic characteristics, relationships with their pets, health, and exercise practices. The findings suggest that the participants were very devoted to their pets, had been involved with pets since childhood, and viewed themselves as healthy.
Considerable research has established that self-efficacy is a consistent correlate of physical activity. Additional factors, such as exercise-induced affect, social support, and value judgments, have also been identified as having the potential to influence adherence to activity. This study examined the utility of such variables in predicting the long-term exercise behavior of older adults.
In the context of a 6-month randomized controlled trial with an 18-month follow-up, we tested the extent to which adherence during the trial, affective responses to exercise, exercise value, and social support from the exercise group had either a direct or indirect effect through the mediation of exercise self-efficacy on physical activity levels at 6- and 18-month follow-up in a sample (N=174) of older adults (M age, 66 years). Structural equation modeling tested several models of exercise prediction.
The best fitting model indicated significant paths from social support, affect, and exercise frequency to efficacy at the end of the program. Efficacy, in turn, was related to physical activity at 6- and 18-month follow-up. The model accounted for 40% of the variance in 18-month activity levels.
This prospective study provides support for the inclusion of social cognitive variables in models of exercise adherence and highlights the pivotal role of self-efficacy in long-term exercise behavior. Subsequent trials are called for to replicate and extend these findings.
Reducing health disparities remains a major public health challenge in the United States. Having timely access to current data on disparities is important for policy and program development. Accordingly, we assessed the current magnitude of disparities in cardiovascular disease (CVD) and its risk factors in the United States.
Using national surveys, we determined CVD and risk factor prevalence and indexes of morbidity, mortality, and overall quality of life in adults > or =18 years of age by race/ethnicity, sex, education level, socioeconomic status, and geographic location. Disparities were common in all risk factors examined. In men, the highest prevalence of obesity (29.2%) was found in Mexican Americans who had completed a high school education. Black women with or without a high school education had a high prevalence of obesity (47.3%). Hypertension prevalence was high among blacks (39.8%) regardless of sex or educational status. Hypercholesterolemia was high among white and Mexican American men and white women in both groups of educational status. Ischemic heart disease and stroke were inversely related to education, income, and poverty status. Hospitalization was greater in men for total heart disease and acute myocardial infarction but greater in women for congestive heart failure and stroke. Among Medicare enrollees, congestive heart failure hospitalization was higher in blacks, Hispanics, and American Indians/Alaska Natives than among whites, and stroke hospitalization was highest in blacks. Hospitalizations for congestive heart failure and stroke were highest in the southeastern United States. Life expectancy remains higher in women than men and higher in whites than blacks by approximately 5 years. CVD mortality at all ages tended to be highest in blacks.
Disparities in CVD and related risk factors remain pervasive. The data presented here can be invaluable for policy development and in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of interventions designed to eliminate health disparities.
Before 2001, the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), a national survey of health behaviors, assessed only leisure-time physical activity. In 2001, the BRFSS used newly developed physical activity items to evaluate combined leisure-time, household, and transportation activities. Using BRFSS 2001 data, this cross-sectional study describes the prevalence of inactivity and insufficient and recommended physical activity for older adults (i.e., aged >or=50 yr).
BRFSS 2001 data were analyzed using prevalence estimates and logistic regression to assess physical activity patterns among older adults (N=74,960) stratified by disability status, and select sociodemographic and health status characteristics.
A total of 43.4, 39.1, and 17.5% of respondents without disabilities were active at a recommended level, insufficiently active, and inactive, respectively, taking into account nonoccupational physical activities. A total of 28.8% of older adults with disabilities were active at a recommended level, 35.7% insufficiently active, and 35.5% inactive. Among persons with and without disabilities, groups with the highest odds of inactivity and insufficient activity were women, persons aged >or=75 yr, blacks, persons with lower education levels and low incomes, and those who were obese.
Not all persons with disabilities can be active at recommended levels, but it is possible for the vast majority to do some types of physical activity, even if at insufficient levels. Thus, it may be possible for the prevalence of inactivity among persons with and without disabilities to be similar. This was not found. At the start of the new millennium, almost 60% of older adults without disabilities and 70% with disabilities were not obtaining a recommended amount of combined leisure-time, transportation, and household physical activity.
Antipsychotic medications are associated with weight gain and metabolic dysregulation, yet little is known about the management of obesity among individuals with severe and persistent mental illness. Thus we sought to evaluate the potential utility of a behavioral weight control program for this population.
Outpatients receiving psychiatric care at a university medical center who had a body mass index (BMI; weight in kg/[height in m](2)) >or= 30 and were currently taking antipsychotic medication participated in a 12-week group behavioral weight control program. A medical chart review was conducted for each participant's body weight over the 10 months prior to beginning the program. A multiple baseline design was used to determine the impact of the intervention on BMI through 12-month posttreatment follow-up. We also assessed self-reported eating behavior, physical activity, and health-related quality of life. Data were collected from October 2000 to July 2003.
Among 35 patients who began the program, 29 (83%) completed treatment, with mean (+/- SD) weight loss of 5.04 (+/- 7.52) pounds (p = .001) and improvements in eating, activity, and quality of life. At 3-month posttreatment follow-up (N = 27; 77%), total mean weight loss was 7.14 (+/- 11.47) pounds (p = .003). Results of a longitudinal model based on general estimating equations indicated that, relative to the pretreatment period, BMI decreased significantly during treatment and remained stable through 12-month posttreatment follow-up.
Behavioral weight control is a promising approach to the treatment of obesity among outpatients taking antipsychotic medications, but longer and more robust interventions are needed.
The purposes of this quasi-experimental pilot study were to determine adherence to a 12-week group-based moderate-intensity walking program for sedentary adult outpatients with serious and persistent mental illness and to examine change from baseline to after the walking program in health status (mental and physical health, mood, and psychosocial functioning) and exercise motivation (exercise outcomes expectancies, exercise decisional balance). The 15 volunteers in this study were aged 21 to 65 years and enrolled in psychosocial rehabilitation; they participated in a 12-week walking program meeting three times per week for 1 hr, supplemented with four health information workshops delivered at the beginning of the study. Participants received individual exercise prescriptions determined by preprogram fitness testing and used heart rate monitors during walking sessions. Thirteen participants (87%) completed the study and attended 76% of the walking sessions. Overall, they walked at lower intensity than prescribed, with pulses within target heart rate ranges 35% of the time during Weeks 1 through 4, 26% of the time during Weeks 5 through 8, and 22% of the time during Weeks 9 through 12. However, mood improved (Profile of Mood States, t = -2.51, two-tailed, df = 12, p = .02), as did psychosocial functioning (Multnomah Community Ability Scale, two-tailed, df = 12, t = 2.49, p = .02). The findings indicate a walking group may be feasible for rehabilitation programs. In addition to the known cardiovascular risk-reduction benefits of regular walking, walking may improve mood and psychosocial functioning in adults with serious and persistent mental illness.
To compare changes in autonomic nervous activity in healthy senior individuals while walking with and without a dog, and during routine activities at home and periods of interacting with the dog at home.
Controlled crossover study.
13 healthy volunteers (3 men, 10 women; mean age, 67.5 years) who walked in a park adjacent to Gunma University, Japan, and 4 volunteers among these who underwent monitoring in their own homes.
Heart rate variability was monitored continuously by means of a palm-sized electrocardiographic monitor (which facilitated spectral analysis of the RR interval) while participants walked for 30 minutes (first with, then without, the study dog, or vice versa); three participants underwent this intervention on 3 consecutive days. Four participants underwent continuous monitoring for 6 hours in their own homes, including two 30-minute periods of free interaction with the study dog.
High frequency (HF) power values of heart rate variability, which is a measure of parasympathetic neural activity.
During dog-walking, HF power increased significantly (P < 0.01); this increase was sustained throughout each dog walk, and was more pronounced during succeeding dog walks. At home, HF power was 1.87 times greater when the dog was present, and 1.57 times greater (P < 0.01) than in the walking experiment.
Walking a dog has potentially greater health benefits as a buffer against stress in senior citizens than walking without a dog; and, independent of actually walking, merely patting and talking to a dog also raises parasympathetic neural activity. Power spectral analysis of heart rate variability shows promise as a non-invasive approach to quantifying clinicophysiological research on human health benefits possibly derived from interaction with companion animals.
Obesity is a significant public health problem that is affecting people and their pets. The human-companion animal bond and the role of pets in providing social support provides a rationale framework for studying the effectiveness of a combined people and pets (PP) exercising together (PPET) weight loss program.
Thirty-six pairs of overweight or obese people with an obese pet (PP) and 56 overweight or obese people only (PO) participated in a 1-year prospective controlled weight loss study. In a group format, people received dietary and physical activity counseling, and dogs were fed a calorie-controlled prescription diet. Physical activity was recorded using the physical activity recall questionnaire.
Completion rates at 1 year were 61% for the PP group and 58% for the PO group. Mean weight losses at 12 months using last observation carried forward were 4.7% (PP) and 5.2% (PO). Mean weight loss among the dogs was 15%. Time spent in physical activity increased in both groups to 3.9 (PP) and 3.5 (PO) h/wk. Two-thirds of total physical activity in the PP group was spent with the dogs.
The PPET study is the first program to demonstrate the effectiveness of a combined PP weight loss program. This fresh approach to the dual obesity epidemic builds on the human-companion animal bond. Consideration of social support for weight loss of family members, friends, and coworkers should be extended to include pets.
Social facilitation of contact with other people by pet dogs
- P R Messent