Hayley Cutt ^1*, Billie Giles-Corti ¹, Matthew Knuiman ¹, Anna Timperio ², Fiona Bull ¹

¹ The University of Western Australia
² Deakin University

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: hayley.cutt{at}uwa.edu.au.

	Abstract

We examined the influence of dog ownership on physical activity, independent of demographic, intrapersonal, and perceived environmental factors, in a cross-sectional survey of 1813 adults. Although only 23% of the dog owners walked their dogs 5 or more times per week, the adjusted odds of achieving sufficient physical activity and walking were 57% to 77% higher among dog owners compared with those not owning dogs (P <.05). Dog ownership was independently associated with physical activity and walking. Actively encouraging more dog walking may increase community physical activity levels.

Key Words: Environment, Exercise/Physical Activity, Health Promotion, Prevention