Why Having a Dog is Good for Your Health?

Strolling with a pet in the third age reduces the sedentary lifestyle, which prevents diseases and improves the quality of life

Owning a dog can make you a healthier person. According to a new study, published in the scientific journal Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, people who walk with dogs are less sedentary - which suggests that taking care of the pet makes them more active.

Researchers at the University of East Anglia and the University of Cambridge analyzed the daily habits of 3,123 Britons, aged between 49 to 91, who were part of a survey. About 20% of the participants had a dog at home. Among them, about 65% used to walk with the animal.

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Even on bad days

Scientists found out that those who did not have a dog were more sedentary during the day than those who walked their dogs - about 30 minutes longer. Overall, all participants were less active on cooler, rainy days, but even on bad days, those who used to walk with the animals were more active than the others - about 12 minutes longer.

Yu-Tzu Wu, a Cambridge University researcher, told the British online newspaper The Independent that considering the weather conditions, they were really surprised by the difference between those who walked with the dogs and the rest of the study participants.

Motivation

For Andy Jones, lead author of the study, this finding may be a way to encourage older people to be more active. The scientist said that the size of the difference they observed between these groups was much greater than they normally find in other physical activities. He also said that a pet can be a motivation for the elderly, and by knowing that, they can plan for future interventions.

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@Pyotan