The DOI matches its Crossref record; 47 of the 47 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Dog ownership and physical activity: a review of the evidence.
Open accessAbstract
BACKGROUND: Dog walking is a strategy for increasing population levels of physical activity (PA). Numerous cross-sectional studies of the relationship between dog ownership and PA have been conducted. The purpose was to review studies comparing PA of dog owners (DO) to nondog owners (NDO), summarize the prevalence of dog walking, and provide recommendations for research. METHODS: A review of published studies (1990-2010) examining DO and NDO PA and the prevalence of dog walking was conducted (N = 29). Studies estimating the relationship between dog ownership and PA were grouped to create a point- estimate using meta-analysis. RESULTS: Most studies were conducted in the last 5 years, were cross-sectional, and sampled adults from Australia or the United States. Approximately 60% of DO walked their dog, with a median duration and frequency of 160 minutes/week and 4 walks/week, respectively. Meta-analysis showed DO engage in more walking and PA than NDO and the effect sizes are small to moderate (d = 0.26 and d = 0.16, respectively). Three studies provided evidence of a directional relationship between dog ownership and walking. CONCLUSIONS: Longitudinal and interventional studies would provide stronger causal evidence for the relationship between dog ownership and PA. Improved knowledge of factors associated with dog walking will guide intervention research.
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“Owning and walking a dog is recognized as contributing to human health (34, 35).”
From The Evolution of Psychological and Behavioral Consequences of Self-Isolation During Lockdown: A Longitudinal Study Across United Kingdom and Italy (2022) · cites this paper as [34]
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Self-citation
Metadata
- Authors
- Christian, H. E., Westgarth, C., Bauman, A., Richards, E. A., Rhodes, R. E., Evenson, K. R., Mayer, J. A., & Thorpe, R. J.
- Affiliations
- The University of Western Australia (AU)
- ORCID
- Venue
- Journal of Physical Activity and Health
- Publisher
- Human Kinetics
- Published
- 2013-07
- Volume
- 10
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 750-759
- ISSN
- 1543-3080 (ISSN-L)
- 1543-5474
- OpenAlex
- W2167476990
- Cited by
- 316
- References
- 46
- Citations by year
- 2026: 14 · 2025: 15 · 2024: 39 · 2023: 22 · 2022: 35 · 2021: 24 · 2020: 24 · 2019: 29 · 2018: 23 · 2017: 28 · 2016: 25 · 2015: 11 · 2014: 16 · 2013: 9
- FWCI
- 2.51
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Journal of Physical Activity and Health (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Carolina Digital Repository (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) (submittedVersion)
- Purdue e-Pubs (Purdue University System) (submittedVersion)
- UWA Profiles and Research Repository (UWA) (submittedVersion)
- UNC Libraries
- Funders
- Medical Research Council
- National Health and Medical Research Council (458668)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Animal Science and Zoology › Human-Animal Interaction Studies
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Physical Activity and Health
- Social Sciences › Transportation › Urban Transport and Accessibility
- Keywords
- dog ownership, dog walking, physical activity, walking, pet ownership, physical activity interventions
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Animals, Australia, Dogs, Humans, Middle Aged, Recreation, United States, Meta-Analysis as Topic, Exercise, Prevalence, Walking, Pets
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