Progress 10/01/07 to 09/30/10

Outputs
OUTPUTS: The goal of these studies was the development of the necessary knowledge to construct a program to prevent obesity by increasing dog walking as a form of family exercise. Its three specific aims were accomplished. In the year one, measurement tools were developed to access the characteristics and attitudes of dog owners regarding physical activity and obesity (Objective 1). In the year two, pedometer-based techniques were developed to measure physical activity in both pet dogs and their owners (Objective 2). In the final year, the developed tools were used to assess the characteristics, attitudes and physical activity of two groups of dogs (n=77) and their owners. One group, a sample from an obesity clinic (n=38), was recruited as part of an obesity reduction protocol at the Cornell University Companion Animal Hospital in Ithaca, NY. Eligibility criteria for this group included a high body condition score (BCS, a measure of body fat levels in dogs) and a medium to large size (14 inches stature or larger). Medium to large sized dogs, were recruited because the work in year 2 indicated that pedometers were only accurate for dogs of this size. Dog owners were instructed on how to use the pedometers and given a set of written instructions. They were also given a paper diary to note daily pedometer measured steps during weeks 1, 6 and 10 of a 10 week study period. Enrollment occurred throughout the 2008 calendar year. Owners were also instructed to be sure that their dogs wore the pedometers on walks or anytime they were physically active. All dogs in the obesity clinic sample were also provided a therapeutic weight reduction to achieve 1-1.5% weight loss per week. The second group of subjects (n=39), were from a similar community in Upstate New York. This group, the community sample, was recruited through the use of local newspaper and flyer advertising for a wellness program involving dog walking. Dogs of medium or larger stature were again used; all BCSs were accepted with most dogs falling in the normal to overweight BCS. The community study had the same 10 week time line with daily steps recorded on weeks 1, 6 and 10. In addition to the pedometer-based step counts among dogs, the owners of these dogs also wore pedometers during all waking hours and logged both dog and human steps. Owners were instructed to not change their current walking behavior. They were asked to record their step counts either using a paper diary or a participant specific, web-based step log. Owners of all dogs completing the study in this group were given coupons for two months supply of food and two general health examinations by a veterinarian. Results from these studies were disseminated to 200 researchers at two scientific meetings and through an interview and article in USA Today (readership of 5.2 million). PARTICIPANTS: Drs Barbour S Warren, Joseph J Wakshlag, and Carol M Devine acted as leaders on this project. Laura J Sugarwala and Matthew R Panasevich acted as student assistants. Mary Maley, Angela M Struble, and Tracy Farrell acted as project assistants. TARGET AUDIENCES: The target audience of these studies would be New York dog owners (39% of the residents), their dogs and potentially their friends. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.

Impacts
Multiple features of walking in both the dogs and humans were evaluated and the developed techniques and methodology were verified. Dogs were evaluated for a relationship between the average number of daily steps and BCS. BCSs were significantly correlated with their average daily steps (Spearman's rho = -0.515, p-value < 0.0001); higher steps were associated with better body condition. In addition, the mean difference in average daily walking steps between obese and non-obese dogs was 7,098 steps a day. This equates to about 45 minutes of walking a day. Relative to weight control in overweight and obese dogs, increased physical activity was found to allow for higher kilocalorie consumption during a weight loss program. Within such a program, each 1,000 step interval equates to approximately 1 extra kilocalorie per kg of consumption. Considerable differences were seen in the reported frequency and time of dog walking between the obesity clinic and community participants. Seventy percent of the community walkers agreed with a statement that they walked their dog at least once a day while only 25% of the obesity clinic participants were in agreement. The duration of walks also differed between the two groups. Sixty per cent of the community participants agreed with a statement that their walks were at least 30 minutes in contrast, agreement was only found for 25% of obese dog's owners. No differences in attitude were seen in the importance of the dogs within the family. Walking was monitored for human participants from the community group. They proved to be an enthusiastic group of participants as retention of participants in the study was 95% and on average they walked 11,906 steps daily. This value is twice the most frequently cited average in studies of walking, 5,931 steps and is considered to be in highly active step zone category. These human participants also displayed no difference in average step numbers for participants with different BMI levels, a result not observed in most studies. Several studies, including our own, have shown that people walk less on weekends. In opposition to this trend, our dog walking group actually had significantly higher step values on weekends (12,541 daily steps, Friday to Sunday) than they did throughout the week (10,994 daily steps, Monday to Thursday) (p-value = 0.0001). How this enthusiasm will play out in the general population of dog walkers will be examined in future studies.

Publications

• Portions of this work were presented at an invited presentation at the International Human Animal Interaction meeting in Kansas City, Mo October 20th to 25th, 2009.
• Johnson, R. A., A. Beck, et al., Eds. (in press). The Health Benefits of Dog Walking for pets and People: Evidence and Case Studies w Lafayette, IN, Purdue University Press (in press for 2011.
• Parts of this work were also presented at the Waltham International Science Symposium in Cambridge England. Results of some of these studies have also been accepted for publication to the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. (In press for 2011)
• Wakshlag, JJ, Struble, AM, Warren, BS, Maley, M, Panasevich, MR, Cummings, KJ, Long, GM, Laflamme, DP (in press). "Increased physical activity allows for greater kilocalorie consumption during a weight loss protocol." Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association.] A paper based on these studies is also in review in the British Journal of Nutrition. (in press for 2011.

Progress 10/01/08 to 09/30/09

Outputs
OUTPUTS: The overall objective of this project was to develop the necessary knowledge and data to build a program to combat obesity by increasing dog walking as a form of family exercise. This goal was accomplished through three specific objectives. In the first year, tools were developed to measure the characteristics and attitudes of dog owners regarding physical activity and obesity (Objective 1). In the second year, techniques were developed to measure physical activity in both pet dogs with their owners (Objective 2). In the current and final year, the developed tools were used to assess the characteristics, attitudes and physical activity a pool of two groups of dogs (n=77) and their owners. The first group, an obesity clinic sample (n=38), was recruited as part of an obesity reduction protocol at the Cornell University Companion Animal Hospital in Ithaca, NY. This group was made up of obese dogs. Eligibility criteria for the clinic sample included a high body condition score (BCS, a measure of body fat levels in dogs) and a medium to large size. Dog owners were instructed by the investigators on how to use the pedometers and given a set of written instructions. They were also given a paper diary to note daily pedometer measured steps during weeks 1, 6 and 10 of a 10 week study period. Enrollment occurred throughout the 2008 calendar year. Owners were instructed to be sure that their dogs wore the pedometers on walks or anytime they were physically active. Medium to large sized dogs, were recruited because the work in year 2 indicated that pedometers were only accurate for dogs of this size. All dogs in the obesity clinic sample were also provided a therapeutic weight reduction diet to achieve 1-1.5% weight loss per week. The second group of subjects (n=39), the community sample, was recruited through the use of local newspaper and flyer advertising in a similar community in Upstate New York for a wellness program involving dog walking. Dogs of 14 inches stature or larger were again used; all BCSs were accepted with most dogs falling in the normal to overweight BCS. The community study had the same 10 week time line with daily steps recorded on weeks 1, 6 and 10. In addition to the step counts among dogs, the owners of these dogs also wore pedometers during all waking hours and logged both dog and human steps. Owners were instructed to not change their current walking behavior. They were asked to record their step counts either using a paper diary or a participant specific, web-based step log. Owners of all dogs completing the study in this group were given coupons for two months supply of food and two general health examinations by a veterinarian. Results from these studies were disseminated to 100 researchers at a scientific meeting and through an interview and article in USA Today (readership of 5.2 million) and have been submitted for publication to the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. PARTICIPANTS: Drs Barbour S Warren, Joseph J Wakshlag, and Carol M Devine acted as leaders on this project. Laura J Sugarwala acted as a student assistant. Mary Maley, Angela M Struble, and Tracy Farrell acted as project assistants. TARGET AUDIENCES: The target audience of these studies would be New York dog owners (39% of the residents), their dogs and potentially their friends. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.

Impacts
Using the developed tools several aspects walking in both the dogs and humans were evaluated and the methodology verified. Dog were examined for a relationship between the average number of daily steps and BCS a measure of body fat levels in dogs. Dogs' BCSs were significantly correlated with their average daily steps (Spearman's rho = -0.515, p-value < 0.0001); higher steps were associated with better body condition. In addition, the mean difference in average daily walking steps between obese and non-obese dogs was 7,098 steps a day. This equates to about 45 minutes of walking a day. Large differences were seen in the reported frequency and time of dog walking between the obesity clinic and community participants. Seventy percent of the community walkers agreed with that they walked their dog at least once a day while only 25% of the obesity clinic participants agreed with this statement. Duration of walks also differed, 60% of the community participants agreed that their walks were at least 30 minutes; 25% of obesity owners were in agreement. No attitudinal differences were seen in the importance of the dogs with the family. Walking was monitored for human participants from the community group. They proved to be an enthusiastic group of participants as retention of participants in the study was 95% and on average they walked 11,906 steps daily. This value is twice the most frequently cited average in studies of walking, 5,931 steps. The dog walking participants displayed no difference in average step numbers between participants with different BMI levels, whereas most studies have reported a progressive in daily steps along with BMI. Several studies, including our own, have shown that people walk less on weekends. In contrast, our dog walking group actually had significantly higher step values on weekends (12,541 daily steps, Friday to Sunday) than they did throughout the week (10,994 daily steps, Monday to Thursday) (p-value = 0.0001). How this enthusiasm will play out in the general population of dog walkers will be examined in future studies.

Publications

• Invited Presentation:Method Development and Preliminary Examination of Dog Walking As a Form of Human and Canine Physical Activity at the Human Animal Interaction meeting in Kansas City, Mo October 2009.

Progress 10/01/07 to 09/30/08

Outputs
OUTPUTS: The overall objective of this project is to develop the necessary knowledge and data to build a program to combat obesity by increasing dog walking as a form of family exercise. This goal will be accomplished through three specific objectives. First, studies will be conducted to develop tools to measure the characteristics and attitudes of dog owners regarding physical activity and obesity (Objective 1). Second, since the activity of the pet dog may play be important, techniques will be develop to measure physical activity in pet dogs with their owners (Objective 2). Third, the developed tools will be used to assess the characteristics, attitudes and physical activity of a large group of dog owners attending wellness clinics at the Veterinary College. The tools to measure the characteristics and attitudes of dog owners (Objective 1) were developed and cognitive tested using a group of dog owners. Characteristics examined include physical attributes, levels and types of physical activity, and physical activity done alone, with the family and with the pet. Attitudes examinations included conceptions about overweight and obesity in owners and pets, points of view regarding physical activity, views about the pet's role in the family and viewpoints about exercise and weight control. Techniques to measure physical activity in dogs and their owners (Objective 2) included the refinement of a published method using pedometers on pets. Examinations of different size dogs will also be conducted. The resulting tools will be used to assess the characteristics and attitudes of a large group of dog owners (Objective 3). During the 6 month long execution of this objective the participants will be monitored on monthly basis for problems with the tools and their usability. After completion all participants will be surveyed regarding the effectiveness of the research tools. PARTICIPANTS: Drs. Barbour S. Warren, Joseph J. Wakshlag, Francis A. Kallfelz, and Carol M. Devine acted as leaders on this project. Laura J Sugarwala and Matt Panasevich acted as student assistants. Mary Maley and Angela Marie Struble acted as project assistants. TARGET AUDIENCES: The target audience of these studies would be New York dog owners (39% of the residents), their dogs and potentially their friends. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Not relevant to this project.

Impacts
Objective 1, the development of a characteristics and attitudes questionnaire was completed. The resulting questionnaire is composed of 43 questions. Each of these questions underwent cognitive testing in 10 participants to refine the understandability of the questions. The technique of verbal probing was used in the interviews to elicit thought processes related to survey answers. Probes were asked after each question to determine if the question material was clear and understandable and to establish strategies used by the interviewee to produce the responses. The findings from the cognitive interviews were compiled and summarized. The survey was revised based on examination of clarity and intent of each question. A second round of cognitive interviews tested the revised survey. This round was administered to 20 dog owners. Retrospective probing was used in this instance, as respondents were asked about the survey after completion. Again, clarity and applicability of survey questions was established based on interviewee responses and a final revision was completed. The second objective was to derive techniques to measure physical activity in dogs and their owners. This objective was also completed. Both owner's and dog's activity levels will be measured using pedometers. We have extensive experience using pedometers in humans and this constitutes a proven methodology. Use of pedometer for dogs has been reported. This is a less proven methodology which we were able to refine. After testing a number of ways of mounting the pedometers, we arrived at a method where the pedometers were mounted on an elastic band and hung freely around the neck of the dogs. Using this methodology and comparing steps counted during videotaping (actual) and pedometer readings we found that accuracy varied with dog size. Measurements were most accurate in medium and large sized dogs. Accuracy was within an acceptable level of 10% deviation from actual steps. Work on Objective 3, assessment of the characteristics, attitudes and physical activity of a large group of dog owners will begin in March.

Publications

• Portions of this work were presented at the Nestle Purina Nutrition Forum, St Louis MO, October 2-4 2008