The Influence of Family Dog Ownership and Parental Perceived Built Environment Measures on Children’s Physical Activity within the Washington, DC Area

Abstract

Sedentary behavior and physical inactivity are significant contributors to youth obesity in the United States. Neighborhood dog walking is an outlet for physical activity (PA). Therefore, understanding the relationship between built environment, dog ownership, and youth PA is essential. This study examined the influence of dog ownership and parental built environment perceptions on children’s PA in the Washington, D.C. area. In 2014, questionnaires were mailed to 2000 parents to assess family dog ownership; children’s outdoor dog walking or playing; and parental perceived built environment measures. Chi-square analyses examined differences in parental perceived built environment measures between children with and without family dogs. The sample included 144 children (50% female; average-age 9.7 years; 56.3% White; 23.7% African-American; 10.4% Asian-American; 29.9% owned dog). Only 13% and 5.6% of the children walked or played outdoors with the dog daily, respectively. A significantly greater proportion (p-value < 0.05) of parents who owned dogs recognized and observed some home built environment measures (e.g., traffic speed on most streets is 30 mph or less) that were PA -promoting for their children. Findings suggest that dog ownership may provide more positive parental perceptions of the neighborhood built environment, which supports children’s outdoor PA through dog walking and playing.

The relationship between dog ownership, dog play, family dog walking, and pre-schooler social–emotional development: findings from the PLAYCE observational study

“…Given that physical activity has the potential to improve social, emotional, and physical health outcomes in children 2,13,14,[22][23][24]26 and there are indications that dog ownership may be associated with increased levels of physical activity in children, 12,27,28 it is plausible that dog-facilitated physical activity may act as the mechanism to enhanced psychosocial and emotional benefits in early childhood. Thus, the aims of this study were to investigate: (1) the relationship between dog ownership status and social-emotional development in pre-school children; and (2) if active play and walking with the family dog were associated with better social-emotional development in young children.…”

Is Dog Owner Obesity a Risk Factor for Canine Obesity? A “One-Health” Study on Human–Animal Interaction in a Region with a High Prevalence of Obesity

“…The identification of animal overweight by dog owners is a major concern for veterinary practitioners, animal health, and nutrition companies [ 32 , 54 , 55 , 59 , 73 ]. Our study also reveals that obese owners with obese dogs consider their dogs to be healthy (86%).…”

Family Dog Ownership and Youth Physical Activity Levels: A Scoping Review

“…Study populations consisted of majority White, higher socioeconomic populations (n = 16; 88.9%), defined through measures such as household income, parental education status, poverty level determined by zip code, and eligibility for free lunches. All studies except two (18,19) reported adjusting analyses for demographic covariates including sex, age, socioeconomic status, parental education and marriage status, and housing type.…”