Browse by author
Lookup NU author(s): Professor Falko Sniehotta
Full text for this publication is not currently held within this repository. Alternative links are provided below where available.
Objective: To examine whether dog ownership amongst community dwelling older adults (>= 65 years) is associated with objectively measured physical activity (PA).Methods: We used data from the Physical Activity Cohort Scotland (PACS) which consists of 547 people aged 65 and over, resident in the community in Tayside, Scotland. The data was collected in 2009-2011. We assessed whether dog ownership is associated with objectively measured physical activity (accelerometry counts).Results: The physical activity (PA) counts of 547 older people (mean age 79 (standard deviation (SD) 8 years, 54% female) were analysed. Linear mixed models showed that dog ownership was positively related to higher PA levels. This positive relationship remained after controlling for a large number of individual and contextual variables, including attitude towards exercise, physical activity intention and history of physical activity. Dog owners were found to be 12% more active (21,875 counts, 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 2810 to 40,939, p < 0.05) than non-dog owners.Conclusion: Dog ownership is associated with physical activity in later life. Interventions to increase activity amongst older people might usefully attempt to replicate elements of the dog ownership experience. (C) 2014 Published by Elsevier Inc.
Author(s): Feng ZQ, Dibben C, Witham MD, Donnan PT, Vadiveloo T, Sniehotta F, Crombie IK, McMurdo MET
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Preventive Medicine
Year: 2014
Volume: 66
Pages: 101-106
Print publication date: 01/09/2014
Online publication date: 12/06/2014
ISSN (print): 0091-7435
ISSN (electronic): 1096-0260
Publisher: Elsevier BV
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2014.06.004
DOI: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2014.06.004
Altmetrics provided by Altmetric
