Pets can improve the health of your children - study

An Australian research team has found a link that suggests children who grow up with dogs are more physically active than children without dogs. The new study also suggests that having a pet reduces the risk of chronic diseases. This is reported by UNN with reference to the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity.

Details

Having a dog in the family makes children more active. This is evidenced by the results of a long-term Australian study, the findings of which were published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity.

It is noted that regular exercise contributes to the physical and mental health of children. In line with this, the World Health Organization recommends that children aged one to four years should be physically active for three hours a day, and that children aged 5 years and older should spend at least one hour of moderate to vigorous physical activity daily, for example, through play or sports.

Many studies show that children who grow up with dogs are more active than those who do not. Children and young people who frequently walk and play with their dog are more likely to meet the recommended amount and duration of physical activity than others.

A research team led by Emma Adams from the University of Western Australia studied how acquiring, owning, and losing a dog affects children's physical activity. To do this, they used data from activity monitors and parental statements from an existing long-term study (2015 to 2021) on the activity of 600 children aged two to seven years.

During this period, 204 children had a dog permanently, 58 children acquired a dog during this period, and in 31 cases the dog died during this time.

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Girls who had dogs did on average eight more physical activities per week, such as playing outside, walking, or playing with the dog, than girls who did not have dogs. If children were given a dog during the study, the number of these weekly physical activities increased by seven.

The researchers also observed an increase in light activity, especially in girls. They spent 52 minutes more per day on light physical activity and games, including slow walking.

Girls' behavior was more affected, and children whose dogs died during the study were less active than before. The number of physical activities per week decreased by eight for boys and ten for girls.

The authors noticed that girls' behavior was more affected than boys'. After the dog's death, they spent a good hour less time each day on light physical activity and games than before.

Children who have lost a dog may be less physically active because they are still grieving for their dog

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If walks with the family dog are not replaced by other activities after its death, it is quite possible that children will engage in less sports.

Overall, our findings suggest that purchasing and owning a dog has a positive effect on children's physical activity,

AddendumAddendum

The study provides the first evidence that getting a dog can lead to an increase in certain physical activities. According to the authors, a dog in the family can also reduce the long-term risk of chronic diseases in children. At the same time, the frequency and duration of children's physical activity may strongly depend on the breed, age, and size of the dog, which should be taken into account in further research.

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