The influence of dog ownership on physical activity, pro-environmental behaviors and nature visits
Mini-Oral Presentation B2.2
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14288/hfjc.v14i3.606Keywords:
Accelerometry, Pet Ownership, Natural EnvironmentsAbstract
Background: The literature suggests that dog ownership may improve physical activity (PA) and nature visits, however, most previous studies used self reported PA measures. The association between owning a dog and adopting pro-environmental behaviors (PEB’s) is also under researched. Purpose: Explore the differences between dog owners and non-dog owners concerning objectively measured physical activity, nature visits and pro-environmental behaviors. Methods: Our sample was comprised 219 individuals, 64.8% female and mean age of 40.63 (±15.35) years, divided into the following groups: dog owners (DO) and nondog owners (NDO). PA was measured using ActiGraph accelerometers (wGT3X-BT). Dog ownership, nature visits and PEB’s were assessed by questionnaire. The data were analyzed using the Sudent’s T test or the Mann-Whitney U test. Results: Approximately 33% of a sample reported having a dog. The TPA ( p=0.02), steps/day ( p=0.03) and nature visits (p<0.01) were higher among men DO than NDO. In women, no significant results were observed between DO and NDO. Male DO perform a greater number of daily steps ( p=0.03) and visit nature more often (p<0.01) compared to female DO. Among individuals NDO no gender differences were not identified. Conclusions: In both genders, there were no differences in the adoption of PEB’s between DO and NDO. Only in men, dog-ownership was associated with higher total PA, daily steps and nature visits. Within individuals DO we found gender differences in the number of steps and nature visits. Funding: This work is supported by National Funds by FCT-Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, under the projects UIDB/04033/2020, UID04045/2020 and UIDB/00073/2020. The investigation was also supported by European funding program Interreg Atlantic Area, under the project (EAPA_772/2018-Triple-C).
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Copyright (c) 2021 Andreia Teixeira, Ronaldo Gabriel, José Martinho, Mário Santos, Graça Pinto, Helena Moreira
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