Older dog owners are more physically active than people of the same age without a dog - the difference between rain and cool temperatures is particularly pronounced
A dog keeps the owner or mistress fit.
Norwich (Great Britain) - It is important but difficult to encourage older people to physical activity. Often, the weather serves as a pretext, not to take a walk out of the house. Bad weather can not be changed. But if you have to take care of a dog, turn around in the rain. In this way, a dog is likely to contribute more to health in old age than medical exhortations or participation in sports courses for seniors, British researchers report in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. According to her study, dog owners are even more agitated when they are wet in cold weather than do their dogs without the dog in the best weather.
Who wants to get people to be more physically active, should establish not only with the benefit for their health, says Andy Jones of the University of East Anglia in Norwich, head of the research project. "Our results show the importance of motivation by external factors - in this case, the need to go out in bad weather with the dog." In the study, 3,123 people participated in the county of Norfolk, aged 49 to 91 years. Of these, 573 were dog owners, of whom two-thirds went with the animal Gassi at least once a day. The test persons were each given a so-called actometer, which was worn on the body during the week during the week and recorded all movement activities. A weather station provided meteorological data for each day of the investigation period. The statistical evaluation took into account age, sex, self-assessed general health and education.
The worse the weather, the clearer was the link between dog ownership and physical activity. In unfavorable weather conditions, the daily gaiters had 20 percent higher activity values and spent an average of 30 minutes less per day than the others. "The extent of these differences has really surprised us," says first author Yu-Tzu Wu. As a comparison with other studies shows, the impact of regular access is greater than attending special training courses for the elderly, says Jones. However, the possibility of reversed causality can not be completely ruled out: it is conceivable that physically active people are more likely to buy a dog. In this case, dog ownership would not be the cause but the consequence of greater physical fitness. In order to confirm the assumed causal relationship, "before-after-studies" are necessary: The physical fitness of test persons should improve after the purchase of a dog.
But even if it is proved that the farm is actually promoting activity and health, one can not recommend a dog to every elderly, since not everyone can care for such a pet, the researchers write. However, it would be conceivable for organizations or municipal authorities to provide such citizens with the opportunity to regularly run a dog. Some dog owners who can not spend enough time with their pet would appreciate such help. According to the authors, physicians who are concerned about the physical fitness of patients can "prescribe" rather than "sporty" training.