Dog-walking programs for kids could promote exercise and weight loss

Romping with a pet dog and walking it several times a day can get children on their feet and help bring them more in line with the minimum recommendation of 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous daily exercise, according to kinesiologists (who study human movement and physical activity) at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

With two-thirds of US children and certainly a similar figure in Israel failing to meet such criteria, the experts have been looking for a fun way to reduce obesity in children.

A preliminary study by the experts just reported in the Journal for the Measurement of Physical Behaviour under the title “The kids interacting with dogs study: Piloting a novel approach for measuring dog-facilitated youth physical activity” tested and validated a new approach for measuring dog-facilitated exercise among children.

The study, involving 12 children, found that about 20% of their daily physical activity came from time spent in close proximity with the family dog. Now, a larger study, aimed at including a more diverse population, is underway.

The university’s behavioral medicine lab, directed by exercise scientist Prof. Katie Potter, studies ways to help people become more active, with a current focus on children and dogs. To expand her study, she is seeking American families with children and one or more dogs to wear ActiGraph accelerometers with a Bluetooth feature that measures proximity as they go about their daily routine.

What has the research found?

Research has shown that children get more exercise when it is enjoyable, motivational, and involves social interaction. “If a child has a dog and is bonded with the dog, that’s going to lead to greater enjoyment of whatever activity they are partaking in. Having a dog is a form of social support,” added Colleen Chase, Potter’s doctoral student and the lead author of the paper. “So, we see the way this lines up nicely with what other studies have shown is going to promote kids being more active.”

If the research continues to show that dogs have a positive impact on the physical activity of children, we can look for ways to involve kids who don’t have a family dog. There are financial and time burdens associated with pet ownership, and we acknowledge that,” Chase stressed. She envisions dog-walking programs in animal shelters or after-school programs involving dog play to expand access to the benefits of hanging out with a dog.

“There are so many ways we might leverage the human-dog bond to promote physical activity in kids, but first we need to understand how much physical activity dog-owning kids get with their dogs,” Potter said.

“Our preliminary study was the first time that this type of research had been done specifically quantifying physical activity with the dog and the kid in proximity together,” noted Chase.