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DOES DOG OWNER EQUAL DOG WALKER: CHARACTERISTICS OF DOG OWNERS WHO DO (& DON'T) WALK THEIR DOGS

Abstract

BACKGROUND: One in two households in the US own a dog. Dog owners tend to engage in more physical activity (PA) than non-dog owners. However, there are dog owners who engage in little to no activity, including not walking their dogs. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore human/dog characteristics that predict dog walking among dog owners. METHODS: Dog owners (>18 yrs and a dog(s) primary caregiver) were recruited to participate in an online cross-sectional survey. Participants reported their demographics in addition to the breed, size/weight, age, and energy level of their dog(s). They also reported the average number of days they engaged in at least 30 minutes of PA per week and dog walking mins/wk (average d/wk * mins/walk * number of walks/d). Linear regression was used to explore the association of human demographics and minutes spent dog walking. Additionally, Pearson’s Correlations examined the associations between the dogs age, weight, energy levels with minutes spent dog walking. RESULTS: Dog owners (n=319) from 38 US states (majority from SC (34.2%), PA (11.3%), and OH (9.4%)) completed the survey. Dog owners were 34.9±13.1 yrs old, 86% female, 92% White, with a BMI of 26.9±6.1 kg/m2. The majority of participants owned 1 (60.5%) or 2 (30.1%) dog(s). Dog owners engaged in ≥30 minutes of PA on 3.9±2.0 d/wk. On average, they walked their dog(s) 202.2±193.8 mins/wk, with 12.5% of dog owners not walking their dogs at all, 28.2% walking < 3 d/wk, and 59.2% walking their dog(s) 4-7 d/wk. A lower BMI (p=0.02), more days engaged in 30 minutes of PA (p<0.001), owning less dogs (p=0.037), and male sex (p=0.02) were predictive of higher dog walking mins/wk. More dog walking mins/wk were associated with younger dog age (p=0.002) and higher dog energy levels (p=0.007). Human age (p=0.83) and dog weight (p=0.31) were not associated with dog walking mins/wk. CONCLUSION: Dog owners with lower BMI, fewer dogs, engaged in regular PA, and male accumulated more mins/wk of dog walking. Additionally, having a younger dog and a dog with higher energy levels was associated with more dog walking. Exploring additional factors (i.e., environmental, intrapersonal) is critical to best understand dog walking behaviors among dog owners, importantly among inactive dog owners or those who do not walk their dog(s).

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