ArticleJournal of epidemiology and community health2017
Dog ownership supports the maintenance of physical activity during poor weather in older English adults: cross-sectional results from the EPIC Norfolk cohort.
Article in Journal of epidemiology and community health, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 22 papers.
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Who cites it
22 citing papers in PubMed.
- Impact of dog sports participation on quality of life, dog owner relationship, and physical activity in women.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2026Article
- From furry friends to fit teens: unveiling the role of active dog breeds in shaping adolescent physical activity and screen time behaviors.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Dog ownership, glycaemic control and all-cause death in patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes: a national cohort study.Frontiers in public health · 2023Article
- Daily Mobility and Social Interactions Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults With Pet Dogs: A Scoping Review.Journal of applied gerontology : the official journal of the Southern Gerontological Society · 2022Article
- Benefits and Conflicts: A Systematic Review of Dog Park Design and Management Strategies.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2022Review
- Association of dog ownership with accelerometer-measured physical activity and daily steps in 70-year-old individuals: a population-based cross-sectional study.BMC public health · 2021Observational
- Exploring Owner Perceptions of the Impacts of Seasonal Weather Variations on Canine Activity and Potential Consequences for Human-Canine Relationships.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2021Article
- The Role of Animal Ownership for People with Severe Mental Illness during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Mixed-Method Study Investigating Links with Health and Loneliness.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- Association between pet ownership and physical activity levels, atopic conditions, and mental health in Singapore: a propensity score-matched analysis.Scientific reports · 2020Article
- Dog ownership and adults' objectively-assessed sedentary behaviour and physical activity.Scientific reports · 2020Article
- "You can be blind because of loving them so much": the impact on owners in the United Kingdom of living with a dog with osteoarthritis.BMC veterinary research · 2020Article
- Slower, shorter, sadder: a qualitative study exploring how dog walks change when the canine participant develops osteoarthritis.BMC veterinary research · 2020Article
- Does dog acquisition improve physical activity, sedentary behaviour and biological markers of cardiometabolic health? Results from a three-arm controlled study.BMJ open sport & exercise medicine · 2020Article
- Companion dog acquisition and mental well-being: a community-based three-arm controlled study.BMC public health · 2019Article
- Does Dog Ownership Affect Physical Activity, Sleep, and Self-Reported Health in Older Adults?International journal of environmental research and public health · 2019Article
- Article
- Dog owners are more likely to meet physical activity guidelines than people without a dog: An investigation of the association between dog ownership and physical activity levels in a UK community.Scientific reports · 2019Article
- Descriptive epidemiology of changes in objectively measured sedentary behaviour and physical activity: six-year follow-up of the EPIC-Norfolk cohort.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2018Article
- Factors Informing Outcomes for Older Cats and Dogs in Animal Shelters.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2018Article
- The REVAMP natural experiment study: the impact of a play-scape installation on park visitation and park-based physical activity.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2018Article
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Funding
Abstract
backgroundDog 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.
methodsThe 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.
resultsAmong 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.
conclusionThose 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.
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