If your child is a couch potato, you might consider adopting a dog. That's because new research has determined children from dog-owning families exercise more than those without mutts do.
The study results, published in the American Journal of Public Health, show children with dogs spend an average of 325 minutes doing physical activity per day, 11 more than those without dogs. This included time spent in light, moderate, moderate to vigorous, and vigorous activity. Dog owners also spend 11 minutes less (562 altogether) in sedentary behavior each day. They were found to take 360 more steps (four per cent) than the others.
(Image: Puravida)
Christopher Owen, senior lecturer in epidemiology at St George’s, University of London, led the study, which looked at 2,065 children aged nine to ten. Activity monitors were used to record the children’s daily movement levels over seven days. The kids came from 78 schools in London, Birmingham and Leicester. 202 children (around ten per cent) owned dogs.
Based on the findings, Owen and his colleagues now believe dog ownership can encourage children to be more active. A furry canine friend in the house may also help to combat rising childhood obesity.
But Owen also raised a good question.
He said, “The more active lifestyles of children from dog-owning families is really interesting – is it that owning a dog makes you more active or that more active families choose to have a dog? It’s a bit of a chicken and egg question. Long-term studies are needed to answer it, but it may be a bit of both.”
“Previous studies have compared adult activity levels before and after getting a dog, and found that they do become more active afterwards. This study is novel in showing that children who have a dog are more active, but, again, long term studies are needed to see if the effect is seen before and after owning a dog.”
Prior research determined adults who own dogs take 1,700 more steps a day on average than non-dog owners – a 25 per cent difference.
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The new study concludes that the smaller activity level difference in children with dogs compared to adults with dogs is "unsurprising," and suggests that the physical activity they take with their dogs probably makes up less of their overall level of activity than that of adults.
Owen thinks further work is needed to determine how much of dog-owning children’s physical activity is actually undertaken with their pet.
He said, “If children really are going for walkies with their dog, this may be one way to encourage more kids to be active."
(Image: Phaewilk)
Tags: Animals, Dogs, Health, Human Behavior, Humans
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