Testing the Reliability and Validity of a Dog Walking Survey

Abstract

PURPOSE: Promotion of walking is a simple and cost-effective strategy to increase physical activity. Approximately 40% of U.S. households own a dog. Promotion of dog walking may provide a promising approach for increasing physical activity at a population level. The purpose of this study was to develop and test the reliability and validity of a self-administered dog walking survey. METHODS: The Dogs and Walking Survey (DaWgS) is based on constructs from social cognitive theory and includes modified items from existing tools to assess physical activity (6 items), perceived safety of neighborhood walking (5 items), dog-related environment (10 items), pet attachment (10 items), social support (7 items) and self-efficacy (10 items) for dog walking. New items were created to assess dog characteristics (5 items), dog walking behaviors (3 items), reinforcements (10 items), barriers (15 items), outcome expectations (14 items) and expectancies (14 items) for dog walking. Participants were recruited via e-mail and social networking websites to facilitate obtaining a diverse sample of dog owners. Dog owners (n=433) who averaged age 40.0 ±12.4 and were 84.7% female completed the initial survey and 250 individuals completed the survey a second time within two weeks. Test-retest reliability was assessed with the Spearman rank correlation (rs) and Kappa statistics (k). Cronbach's alpha was used to assess internal consistency of items. Validity was assessed with common factor analysis using oblique rotation. RESULTS: Survey items demonstrated moderate to strong test-retest reliability; rs =.39-.94 and k=.82-.96. Items in the 9 tested survey scales were internally consistent; Cronbach's alpha=.72-.96. Survey items loaded on the 9 scales as expected; factor loadings=.35 to.96. The percent of common variance explained by each factor ranged from 46-86%. Two items assessing the presence of other dogs and sidewalk conditions had adequate test-retest reliability but did not load on the neighborhood walking scale. CONCLUSION: Overall, DaWgS demonstrated good reliability and factorial validity. Initial analysis indicates that this tool can be used by researchers and practitioners interested in examining psychological, interpersonal and environmental correlates of dog walking behaviors.