PURPOSE: To examine the role of pet play and dog walking in children's and adolescents' leisure time, and the relationship between these activities and physical activity. DESIGN: The study design was observational. SETTING: The study setting was metropolitan Perth and nonmetropolitan regions in Western Australia. SUBJECTS: The study included 1097 primary school (mean age, 10.1 years; SD, 1.6 years) and 657 secondary school (mean age, 14.0 years; SD, 1.3 years) students. MEASURES: Validated measures of total physical activity, dog walking, and pet play activity (prevalence and time) were calculated. ANALYSIS: Generalized linear models tested for differences between proportions, while adjusting for socioeconomic status, age, and school-level clustering. RESULTS: Approximately one third of primary school and one quarter of secondary school students reported that they walked the dog at least once in the last week. Pet play was the most common play activity for primary and secondary school girls, and the second and third most popular play activity for secondary and primary school boys, respectively. Secondary school students who walked the dog or played with pets spent an average of 1 hour per week on each activity, and they were significantly more likely (p < .005) to meet national physical activity recommendations than secondary school students not reporting these activities. CONCLUSION: Given the significant proportion of young people who frequently engage in dog walking and pet play, and the high level of pet ownership in many Western countries, promotion of these activities to support young people's health is warranted.
PURPOSE: To examine the role of pet play and dog walking in children's and adolescents' leisure time, and the relationship between these activities and physical activity. DESIGN: The study design was observational. SETTING: The study setting was metropolitan Perth and nonmetropolitan regions in Western Australia. SUBJECTS: The study included 1097 primary school (mean age, 10.1 years; SD, 1.6 years) and 657 secondary school (mean age, 14.0 years; SD, 1.3 years) students. MEASURES: Validated measures of total physical activity, dog walking, and pet play activity (prevalence and time) were calculated. ANALYSIS: Generalized linear models tested for differences between proportions, while adjusting for socioeconomic status, age, and school-level clustering. RESULTS: Approximately one third of primary school and one quarter of secondary school students reported that they walked the dog at least once in the last week. Pet play was the most common play activity for primary and secondary school girls, and the second and third most popular play activity for secondary and primary school boys, respectively. Secondary school students who walked the dog or played with pets spent an average of 1 hour per week on each activity, and they were significantly more likely (p < .005) to meet national physical activity recommendations than secondary school students not reporting these activities. CONCLUSION: Given the significant proportion of young people who frequently engage in dog walking and pet play, and the high level of pet ownership in many Western countries, promotion of these activities to support young people's health is warranted.
Entities:
Keywords:
Children; Children's Play; Health focus: fitness/physical activity; Manuscript format: research; Outcome measure: behavioral; Pets; Physical Activity; Prevention Research; Research purpose: descriptive; Setting: family; Strategy: skill building/behavior change; Study design: nonexperimental; Target population age: youth; Target population circumstances: children and adolescents
Authors: Lourdes Suarez; Inmaculada Bautista-Castaño; Cristina Peña Romera; José Alberto Montoya-Alonso; Juan Alberto Corbera Journal: Vet Sci Date: 2022-05-22
Authors: Jennifer D Roberts; Lindsey Rodkey; Cortney Grisham; Rashawn Ray Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2017-11-16 Impact factor: 3.390
Authors: Rebecca Purewal; Robert Christley; Katarzyna Kordas; Carol Joinson; Kerstin Meints; Nancy Gee; Carri Westgarth Journal: BMC Vet Res Date: 2019-09-18 Impact factor: 2.741
Authors: Michelle Ng; Elizabeth Wenden; Leanne Lester; Carri Westgarth; Hayley Christian Journal: BMC Public Health Date: 2021-01-06 Impact factor: 3.295