Pet Dogs and Child Physical Activity: The Role of Child-Dog Attachment

Details

• Personal Author:
  Gadomski AM ; Jenkins P ; Krupa N ; Scribani MB
• Description:
  Background: Dog ownership has been associated with increased physical activity in children which in turn may mitigate childhood obesity. Objective: To measure the association between child-dog attachment and child physical activity and screen time. Methods: Cross-sectional study including 370 children (ages 4-10) who had pet dogs in the home. Parents completed the DartScreen, a web-based screener, before a well-child visit. Screener domains included child body mass index (BMI), physical activity, screen time and dog-related questions. The Companion Animal Bonding Scale (CABS) was used to measure child attachment to the dog. Clinic nurses weighed and measured the children. Associations between CABS, BMI z-score, screen time and physical activity were estimated. Results: CABS was strongly associated with time spent being active with the dog (F = 22.81, p<0.0001), but not with BMI z-score or screen time. Conclusions: A higher level of child attachment to a pet dog is associated with increased child physical activity. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Animals Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Activity Levels Author Keywords: Attachment BMI Body Mass Index Children Companion Animal Bonding Scale Cross Sectional Studies Dog Human-animal Interaction Obesity Physical Activity Physical Exercise Psychological Responses

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• ISSN:
  2047-6310
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  New York ; OSHA Region 2 ; OSHA Region 3 ; Pennsylvania
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  12
• Issue:
  5
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20053098
• Citation:
  Pediatr Obes 2017 Oct; 12(5):e37-e40
• Contact Point Address:
  AM Gadomski, MD MPH, Research Institute, Bassett Medical Center, One Atwell Road, Cooperstown, NY, 13326, USA
• Email:
  anne.gadomski@bassett.org
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2018
• NORA Priority Area:
  Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
• Performing Organization:
  Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital, Cooperstown, New York
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20010930
• Source Full Name:
  Pediatric Obesity
• End Date:
  20270831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:d1f2c8741a996e33e915250d2be2d38697a8461106c211b37900d0080fa020a3b396471277e2b9e1e51f38fe96851be40a3c12b726b29017c0e1687082f03f39
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/215936/cdc_215936_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 75.68 KB ]