Abstract
BackgroundRegular physical activity (PA) promotes health and can prevent and treat diseases among both humans and dogs. Unfortunately, most U.S. adults do not meet PA recommendations, and many dogs are also insufficiently active. Veterinary-prescribed PA programs have shown some success in increasing activity among overweight dogs, but the impacts of such programs have not yet been tested for efficacy among otherwise-healthy dogs and owners. In addition, although wearable devices that monitor PA and provide individuals with feedback (e.g., progress toward a daily step goal) can effectively increase human PA, it is unclear what impact similar wearable devices have on human and dog PA when the PA-monitoring devices are worn by dogs. The present study assessed the impact of an 8-week veterinary-prescribed PA program on activity and health among dogs and their owners, and randomized participants (n = 59) to two groups: one in which PA was measured but not visible to participants (n = 30), and one in which PA was measured and real time feedback was visible through a wearable device (n = 29).ResultsParticipants in both groups showed significant PA increases over the course of the 8-week program. Biomedical testing performed at the veterinary clinic facilitated early diagnosis of systemic illness in one human participant. The frequency of hypertension in human participants decreased significantly from baseline to the end of the program (week 8). Other health indices (e.g., BMI in humans, body weight and BCS in dogs) improved, albeit not to a statistically significant extent, over the course of the program. There were no significant differences on the outcomes of interest between the two experimental conditions.ConclusionsVeterinary-prescribed PA programs appear promising for increasing PA among insufficiently active but otherwise healthy dogs as well as their owners. Additional testing of veterinary-prescribed PA is warranted, particularly at other types of veterinary clinics (e.g., private practices). Incorporating wearable devices permitting owners to track canine PA did not appear necessary for obtaining these benefits; however, additional studies investigating alternative devices or different time periods may be warranted.
Highlights
Regular physical activity (PA) promotes health and can prevent and treat diseases among both humans and dogs
The objective of this study was to determine if veterinary-prescribed PA could increase dog walking to meet PA guidelines among otherwise healthy dogs
Characteristics of the two groups are summarized in Table 1; there were no statistically significant differences in mean age, weight, body condition score (t-test, p > 0.05 for all) or sex between groups
Summary
Regular physical activity (PA) promotes health and can prevent and treat diseases among both humans and dogs. Despite the known benefits and accessibility of walking, approximately half of the adult population in the US does not meet the minimum guidelines for PA recommended by the US Department of Health and Human Services of at least 150 min per week [11,12,13,14,15]. Only a subset (~ 60%) of dog owners routinely walk their dogs [17], and 59% of dogs are overweight [20] or have other health conditions that could be addressed by physical activity, suggesting that there is substantial room for increasing PA for both dogs and people. Strategies to increase dog walking would be beneficial for both dogs and people [21] and not surprisingly, this topic -promoting dog walking - is increasingly interesting for researchers and public health practitioners [22, 23]
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