Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Pets & exercise in humans

Pets & exercise in humans

Dog Ownership during Pregnancy, Maternal Activity, and Obesity: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Westgarth C, Liu J, Heron J, Ness AR, Bundred P, et al.
PLoS ONE 7(2): e31315. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0031315   (2012)
The Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) is an observational study of 14273 UK pregnant singleton mothers in 1990/1991. We examined outcomes of self report of strenuous activity (hours per week) at 18 and 32 weeks of gestation, hours spent in leisure-time physical activities and types, and pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI); overweight status was defined as pre-pregnancy BMI≥25 and obesity BMI≥30. Pet ownership and activity data were reported for 11,466 mothers. Twenty-five percent of mothers owned at least one dog. There was a positive relationship between participation in activity at least once a week and dog ownership (at 18 weeks, Odds ratio 1.27, 95% confidence interval 1.11–1.44, P<0.001). Dog owners were 50% more likely to achieve the recommended 3 hours activity per week, equivalent to 30 minutes per day, most days of the week (1.53, 1.35–1.72, P<0.001). Dog owners were also more likely to participate in brisk walking activity than those who did not have a dog (compared to no brisk walking 2–6 hrs per week 1.43, 1.23 to 1.67, P<0.001; 7+ hrs per week 1.80, 1.43 to 2.27, P<0.001). However, no association was found with any other types of activities and there was no association between dog ownership and weight status. During the time period studied, pregnant women who had dogs were more active, through walking, than those who did not own dogs. As walking is a low-risk exercise, participation of pregnant women in dog walking activities may be a useful context to investigate as part of a broader strategy to improve activity levels in pregnant women.  
( categories: )

Access to off-leash parks, street pattern and dog walking among adults



McCormack, G. R.; Rock, M.; Sandalack, B.; Uribe, F. A.;
( categories: )

"I'm Just a'-Walking the Dog" - Correlates of Regular Dog Walking

Family & Community Health:
January/March 2010 - Volume 33 - Issue 1 - p 44-52
 Christian (nee Cutt), Hayley PhD; Giles-Corti, Billie PhD; Knuiman, Matthew PhD
Intrapersonal and environmental factors associated with dog walking (N = 483) were examined. A greater proportion of regular (80%) than irregular (59%) dog walkers met the recommended 150 minutes of physical activity per week. Owners who perceived greater social support and motivation from their dogs to walk, and who had access to a dog-supportive park within their neighborhood, were more likely to regularly walk with their dogs, even after adjustment for other well-known correlates of physical activity. The higher level of physical activity of regular dog walkers can be attributed to the additional walking these owners perform with their dogs.
( categories: )

Barriers and motivators for owners walking their dog: results from qualitative research.

 
Health Promotion Journal of Australia
 2008 Aug;19(2):118-24.
 

Abstract

ISSUE ADDRESSED:

This qualitative research explored the relationship between dog ownership and dog-related, social environmental and physical environmental factors associated with walking with a dog.
( categories: )

Dog ownership and adolescent physical activity.



Sirard, J. R.; Patnode, C. D.; Hearst, M. O.; Laska, M. N.;

Type 2 diabetes and dog walking: patients' longitudinal perspectives about implementing and sustaining physical activity

Peel, Elizabeth.Douglas, Margaret.Parry, Odette.Lawton, Julia
British Journal of General Practice.60(577):570-7, 2010 Aug.
BACKGROUND:
Physical activity is particularly important for people with type 2 diabetes, as evidence suggests that any reduction in sedentary time is good for metabolic health. AIM: To explore type 2 diabetes patients' talk about implementing and sustaining physical activity.
DESIGN OF STUDY:
Longitudinal, qualitative study using repeat in-depth interviews with 20 patients over 4 years following clinical diagnosis.
SETTING:
Patients were recruited from 16 general practices and three hospitals across Lothian, Scotland.
RESULTS:
Discussion, and salience, of physical activity was marginal in patient accounts of their diabetes management. Patients claimed to have only received vague and non-specific guidance about physical activity from health professionals, and emphasised a perceived lack of interest and encouragement. Aside from walking, physical activities which were adopted tended to attenuate over time. Patients' accounts revealed how walking a dog assisted this kind of activity maintenance over time.
Three main themes are highlighted in the analysis:

Living with companion animals, physical activity and mortality in a U.S. national cohort

Gillum, R. F.; Obisesan, T. O.;
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2010. 7: 6, 2452-2459.
Living with a canine companion is postulated to increase physical activity. We test the hypotheses that adults living with a canine companion have a higher level of physical activity and reduced mortality risk compared to those not living with a companion animal. A U.S. national health survey with longitudinal mortality follow-up studied 11,394 American men and women aged 40 years and over examined in 1988-1994 followed an average 8.5 years. Measurements at baseline included self-reported companion animals in the household, socio-demographics, health status, physical and biochemical measurements. Outcome measures were leisure-time physical activity (LTPA), and death from all causes. Death during follow-up occurred in 3,187 persons. In bivariate cross-sectional analyses living with a dog was associated with more frequent LTPA and higher survival. In proportional hazards regression analysis, no significant interaction of age, gender or ethnicity with animals was found. After adjusting for confounding by baseline socio-demographics and health status at ages 40+, the hazards ratio (95% confidence limits) for living with a canine companion compared to no animals was 1.21 (1.04-1.41, p<0.001). After also controlling for health behaviors, blood pressure and body mass, C-reactive protein and HDL-cholesterol, the HR was 1.19 (0.97-1.47, NS). In a nationwide cohort of American adults, analyses demonstrated no lower risk of death independent of confounders among those living with canine or feline companions, despite positive association of canine companions with LTPA.
( categories: )

No comments:

Post a Comment