Owning a Dog is Good for Your Health, Especially if you are Older
Owning a dog isn’t just a joy; it’s also incredibly beneficial for your health, especially as you age. For older adults, canine companionship offers a range of advantages that contribute to overall well-being. Studies show that regular interaction with dogs can lower blood pressure, reduce stress levels, and increase physical activity through daily walks and playtime. Moreover, the companionship provided by a dog can combat feelings of loneliness and depression, promoting mental and emotional health. Whether you’re considering adopting a furry friend or already have one, explore the myriad ways in which owning a dog can enhance your quality of life and support your health as you navigate the golden years.
A new study has shown that regularly walking a dog boosts levels of physical activity in older people, especially during the winter.
The researchers from the University of East Anglia and the University of Cambridge found that owning or walking a dog was one of the most effective ways to beat the usual decline in later-life activity, even combatting the effects of bad weather.
Dog owners were sedentary for 30 minutes less per day, on average.
More than 3000 older-adults participating in the study were asked if they owned a dog and if they walked one. They also wore an accelerometer, a small electronic device that constantly measured their physical activity level over a seven-day period.
Bad weather and short days are known to be one of the biggest barriers to staying active outdoors. Lead author of the paper, Dr Yu-Tzu Wu, said, “We know that physical activity levels decline as we age, but we’re less sure about the most effective things we can do to help people maintain their activity as they get older. We found that dog walkers were much more physically active and spent less time sitting overall. We expected this, but when we looked at how the amount of physical activity participants undertook each day varied by weather conditions, we were really surprised at the size of the differences between those who walked dogs and the rest of the study participants.”
The team found that on shorter days and those that were colder and wetter, all participants tended to be less physically active and spent more time sitting. Yet dog walkers were much less impacted by these poor conditions.
Prof Jones said, “Dog walking is driven by the needs of the animal. Being driven by something other than our own needs might be a really potent motivator and we need to find ways of tapping into it when designing exercise interventions in the future.”
