The researchers revealed through a recent study that children belonging to dog owing families are healthier, often more exercised and spent their lot of time outdoors with their pet. The study has delved a connection between dog ownership and physical activity in teenagers.
For their analysis, research team led by study author John Sirard, from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, examined more than six hundred pairs of teenagers and their parents in the Minneapolis area. They were asked about the number of dogs they owned and number of hours they spent with their pets.
Among all study participants, about more than three hundred teenagers put on accelerometers, a device used to gather figures on time spent moving, for one week. It was revealed, children who have dogs as their pets witnessed larger amounts of movement on accelerometer devices.
Moreover, teens from dog owing families were physically more active and exercised more in comparison to families where there was no dog. This might denote that teens with dogs spend additional fifteen minutes doing moderate to vigorous exercises per week, stated the study authors.
Amusingly, the researchers were astonished to discover a connection between having a dog and enhanced teenager corporeal activity, as they anticipated parents to do the dog walk. You can think of your dog not only as your best friend, but also a social support tool for being active, added Sirard.
According to Cheryl B. Anderson, Ph.D., a visiting assistant professor of pediatrics at the Children’s Nutrition Research Center at Baylor College of Medicine, discovering ways to promote teens’ corporal movement levels is vital, since time spent exercising drops steeply after the elementary school years.