Understanding the relationship between pet ownership and physical activity among older community-dwelling adults—a mixed methods study

© 2020 Human Kinetics, Inc. Pet ownership is associated with increased levels of physical activity (PA) in older adults. Studies have mainly focused on the association between PA and dog walking; however, broader aspects of pet ownership may influence PA. The purpose of this study was to explore the...

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Main Authors: Peacock, Mandy, Netto, Julie, Yeung, P., McVeigh, Joanne, Hill, Anne-Marie
Format: Journal Article
Published: 2020
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/79241
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author Peacock, Mandy
Netto, Julie
Yeung, P.
McVeigh, Joanne
Hill, Anne-Marie
author_facet Peacock, Mandy
Netto, Julie
Yeung, P.
McVeigh, Joanne
Hill, Anne-Marie
author_sort Peacock, Mandy
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description © 2020 Human Kinetics, Inc. Pet ownership is associated with increased levels of physical activity (PA) in older adults. Studies have mainly focused on the association between PA and dog walking; however, broader aspects of pet ownership may influence PA. The purpose of this study was to explore the association between pet ownership and incidental and purposeful PA using a mixed methods approach. Participants’ (N = 15) PA was measured for 7 days using accelerometers and diaries. Semistructured interviews explored participants’ perspectives regarding pet-related activities. Participants’ mean (SD) daily step count was 14,204 (5,061) steps, and mean (SD) sedentary time per day was 8.76 (1.18) hr. Participants strongly concurred that their pets were an integral part of their daily lives. Incidental and purposeful PA resulted from participants undertaking pet care and socially interacting with their pets. Pets may interrupt sedentary behaviors by nudging older adults to engage in PA as part of their daily lived experience.
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institution Curtin University Malaysia
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publishDate 2020
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-792412020-08-03T03:29:39Z Understanding the relationship between pet ownership and physical activity among older community-dwelling adults—a mixed methods study Peacock, Mandy Netto, Julie Yeung, P. McVeigh, Joanne Hill, Anne-Marie © 2020 Human Kinetics, Inc. Pet ownership is associated with increased levels of physical activity (PA) in older adults. Studies have mainly focused on the association between PA and dog walking; however, broader aspects of pet ownership may influence PA. The purpose of this study was to explore the association between pet ownership and incidental and purposeful PA using a mixed methods approach. Participants’ (N = 15) PA was measured for 7 days using accelerometers and diaries. Semistructured interviews explored participants’ perspectives regarding pet-related activities. Participants’ mean (SD) daily step count was 14,204 (5,061) steps, and mean (SD) sedentary time per day was 8.76 (1.18) hr. Participants strongly concurred that their pets were an integral part of their daily lives. Incidental and purposeful PA resulted from participants undertaking pet care and socially interacting with their pets. Pets may interrupt sedentary behaviors by nudging older adults to engage in PA as part of their daily lived experience. 2020 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/79241 10.1123/japa.2019-0056 restricted
spellingShingle Peacock, Mandy
Netto, Julie
Yeung, P.
McVeigh, Joanne
Hill, Anne-Marie
Understanding the relationship between pet ownership and physical activity among older community-dwelling adults—a mixed methods study
title Understanding the relationship between pet ownership and physical activity among older community-dwelling adults—a mixed methods study
title_full Understanding the relationship between pet ownership and physical activity among older community-dwelling adults—a mixed methods study
title_fullStr Understanding the relationship between pet ownership and physical activity among older community-dwelling adults—a mixed methods study
title_full_unstemmed Understanding the relationship between pet ownership and physical activity among older community-dwelling adults—a mixed methods study
title_short Understanding the relationship between pet ownership and physical activity among older community-dwelling adults—a mixed methods study
title_sort understanding the relationship between pet ownership and physical activity among older community-dwelling adults—a mixed methods study
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/79241