Data and facts about the advantages of having dogs around adults.
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Overview
Physical Exercise
Jump to: Pilot Joint Outdoor Exercise Program (Sweden)
Pilot Study of A Joint Outdoor Exercise Program
External link:
Smedberg, K., Lundbeck, E., Roman, E. et al. A pilot study of a joint outdoor exercise program for dog owners and dogs. Sci Rep 14, 14321 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-65033-0
Impact on Dog Owners
- Improved Quality of Life (QoL): Dog owners reported a significantly increased QoL after the intervention (4.1 vs. 3.9), primarily driven by participants in the 2 km group.
- Increased Motivation for Exercise: A large majority of owners (86%, n = 19) stated that their motivation for joint exercise with their dog had increased.
- Enhanced Self-Acceptance of Bodily Appearance: Owners showed a significant increase in self-acceptance of their bodily appearances (3.5 vs. 3.1).
- No Significant Change in BMI or Body Measurements: There was no significant change in owner BMI (25.1), waist-hip ratio (0.87), or waist/hip circumferences.
- No Change in Feeding-Related Behaviors: Owners reported no considerable changes in feeding frequency, amount of feed administered, owner-assessed fullness after feeding, or feeding-related behaviors (such as appetite or begging).
| Dog owner-assessed physical activity and sedentary time | Before Mean/Median (Range) | After Mean/Median (Range) |
|---|---|---|
| Total physical activity load/”activity minutes” (minutes per week) | 357/368 (105–540) | 423/443 (225–540) |
| Everyday physical activity (minutes per week) | 238/300 (75–300) | 252/300 (75–300) |
| Exercise (minutes per week) | 59/60 (0–120) | 86/105 (0–120) |
| Sedentary time (hours per day) | 7.5/6.5 (2–14) | 6.1/5 (2–11) |
| Descriptive statistics of dog owner-fulfilment of global recommendations of physical activity | Before proportion (%) | After proportion (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 150 min of total physical activity load/”activity minutes” per week | 91 | 100 |
| 150 min of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity per week | 77 | 82 |
| 75 min of exercise vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity per week | 50 | 73 |
Impact on Dog Owners
- Consistent Owner-Assessed QoL: Owner-assessed QoL in dogs remained constantly high and did not change after the intervention (4.7 vs. 4.7).
- Improved Body Condition Score (BCS): Dogs showed a significantly reduced BCS after the intervention (4.7 vs. 5.1).
- Optimal Post-Intervention BCS: Post-intervention BCS scores ranged from 4–6 (median 5), indicating that no dogs were categorized as underweight or overweight after the program.
- No Association Between Owner BMI and Dog BCS: There was no association between owner BMI and dog BCS, either before or after the intervention.
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