Study also shows that seniors who form strong
bonds with their pets tend to exercise longer and more often
Newswise, April 21, 2016 – The Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention recommends that adults of all ages should engage in 150 or more
minutes of moderate physical activity per week.
Among adults 60 years of age or
more, walking is the most common form of leisure-time physical activity because
it is self-paced, low impact and does not require equipment.
Researchers at the
University of Missouri have determined that older adults who also are pet
owners benefit from the bonds they form with their canine companions.
Dog walking
is associated with lower body mass index, fewer doctor visits, more frequent
exercise and an increase in social benefits for seniors.
“Our study explored the associations between dog ownership and
pet bonding with walking behavior and health outcomes in older adults,” said
Rebecca Johnson, a professor at the MU College of Veterinary Medicine, and the
Millsap Professor of Gerontological Nursing in the Sinclair School of Nursing.
“This study provides evidence for the association between dog
walking and physical health using a large, nationally representative sample.”
The study analyzed 2012 data from the Health and Retirement
study sponsored by the National Institute on Aging and the Social Security
Administration.
The study included data about human-animal interactions,
physical activity, frequency of doctor visits and health outcomes of the
participants.
“Our results showed that dog ownership and walking were
related to increases in physical health among older adults,” said Johnson, who
also serves as director of the Research Center for Human-Animal Interaction at
MU.
“These results can provide the basis for medical professionals
to recommend pet ownership for older adults and can be translated into reduced
health care expenditures for the aging population.”
Results from the study also indicated that people with higher
degrees of pet bonding were more likely to walk their dogs and to spend more
time walking their dogs each time than those who reported weaker bonds.
Additionally, the study
showed that pet walking offers a means to socialize with pet owners and others.
Retirement communities also could be encouraged to incorporate
more pet-friendly policies such as including dog walking trails and dog
exercise areas so that their residents could have access to the health
benefits, Johnson said.
The study, “Dog Walking, the Human-Animal Bond and Older
Adults’ Physical Health,” recently was published by The Gerontologist. Angela
L. Curl, assistant professor in the Department of Family Studies and Social
Work at Miami University, and Jessica Bibbo, a graduate student at MU,
contributed to the study.
