A study conducted by Curry School Asst. Prof. John R. Sirard shows that teens in dog-owning families are more active than their counterparts.
"I namely wanted to do it for fun," Sirard said of the study. "There's been some evidence, mostly from Australia, that people who own dogs are more physically active than non-dog-owners."
Sirard collected data from teenagers living in and around the Minneapolis area while he worked at the University of Minnesota. To measure the physical activity of the 618 participating families, accelerometers were placed on the teens.
The study found that teens in dog-owning families logged 15 additional minutes of moderate to vigorous activity per week. Despite the results, Sirard was hesitant to draw certain conclusions.\n"We don't know if it was because the kids were walking the dog or playing with the dog," he said.
Sirard said he may enlist graduate students to study why the correlation between dog ownership and physical activity exists.
"I am kind of intrigued by the 'why,'" Sirard said. "We probably will explore some more."
Sirard said he also may examine the effect of the size and breed of the dog on the level of owner interaction, as well as whether the location of residency influences teens to either walk the dog or let it run loose.
Sirard's findings will be published in the March issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
-compiled by Audrey Waldrop
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