摘要：We examined the influence of dog ownership on physical activity, independent of demographic, intrapersonal, and perceived environmental factors, in a cross-sectional survey of 1813 adults. Although only 23% of the dog owners walked their dogs 5 or more times per week, the adjusted odds of achieving sufficient physical activity and walking were 57% to 77% higher among dog owners compared with those not owning dogs ( P < .05). Dog ownership was independently associated with physical activity and walking. Actively encouraging more dog walking may increase community physical activity levels. If your dog is fat, you aren’t getting enough exercise. —Anonymous Effective strategies are required to increase population levels of physical activity. 1 Dog walking has the potential to increase physical activity in a large proportion of the community. The few studies conducted have reported that 40% to 80% of dog owners walk their dog, 2 – 6 with considerable variation in total reported physical activity and walking. 2 , 3 , 7 , 8 The extent to which dog walking is sufficient to produce health benefits for both owner and dog requires further investigation. 9 Also, greater understanding of factors associated with physical activity and dog ownership would assist future interventions. 10 – 13 In this study, we used an ecological model 14 to examine the independent influence of dog ownership on physical activity and walking after adjusting for known correlates of physical activity and walking.
