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Abstract: Background: Research has shown Australian group homes, and supported living options, fail to support people with intellectual disabilities (IDs) to develop social connections. This pilot study evaluates the effectiveness of a visiting dog walking program to facilitate encounters with other community members. Method: Sixteen adults with IDs were assigned to one of two groups, matched on key characteristics. Group 1 had 14, 1‐hour outings in the community with a dog and their handler; Group 2 had 14 outings with a handler alone, followed by an additional five outings with a handler and a dog. Within and between group differences were analysed according to number of encounters when a dog was present and absent. Qualitative data provided insights into the nature of these encounters. Results: The number of encounters was significantly higher when a dog was present than when participants went out into the community with a handler alone. This pattern was reflected in the qualitative data, which also suggested the presence of a dog helped to break social norms about speaking to strangers and discourage disrespect towards people with IDs. Conclusions: A dog walking program has the potential to encourage convivial encounters, which in the long term could be catalysts to help people with IDs build social connections in their communities; this should be further explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Issue addressed: This qualitative research explored the relationship between dog ownership and dog-related, social environmental and physical environmental factors associated with walking with a dog. Methods: Seven focus groups with dog owners (n=51) were conducted. A pre-determined discussion guide was used and transcripts were analysed as group data, using content analysis to identify common themes. Results: Many of the physical environmental barriers and facilitators that influenced dog owners to walk were similar to those found in the literature for general walking. However, a number of key motivators for walking, specific to dog owners, were identified. Dog owners reported that their dog was a strong source of motivation, companionship and social support that encouraged them to walk with their dog. The availability and accessibility of public open space (POS) for dogs and the provision of dog-related infrastructure within POS were also important environmental factors that affected whether owners walked with their dog. Conclusions: Results from this qualitative study were used to develop the Dogs and Physical Activity (DAPA) tool which is now being used to measure the walking behaviour of dog owners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVES: To examine dog walking among dog owners and the relationship between walking behavior of dog owners and non-dog owners and maintained gait speed over 3 years. DESIGN: Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses of a prospective cohort study. SETTING: Memphis, Tennessee, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. PARTICIPANTS: Two thousand five hundred thirty-three community-dwelling adults aged 71 to 82 at 36 months of the Health, Aging and Body Composition Study. MEASUREMENTS: Dog ownership, reported walking behavior, change in walking behavior, and usual and rapid gait speed over 3 years. RESULTS: Of 394 dog owners, only 36% walked their dogs at least three times per week. Cross-sectionally, dog walkers were more likely to achieve 150 minutes of walking per week and had faster usual and rapid walking speeds (1.20 vs 1.14 m/s and 1.62 vs 1.52 m/s, respectively; P<.01 for both) than non-dog owners who did not walk at least three times per week and similar speeds as non-dog owners who walked at least 150 minutes per week ( P>.50). Three years later, subjects who had been dog walkers at baseline were approximately twice as likely as any other group to achieve recommended walking levels, independent of covariates. Dog walkers experienced similar declines in usual and rapid walking speed as non-dog owners who walked at least three times per week but maintained their initial mobility advantage. CONCLUSION: Although dog ownership appears to facilitate walking behavior, only a minority of older dog owners walk their dogs. The mobility advantage of dog ownership was seen only in dog walkers and was similar to that associated with any walking. Given suboptimal walking activity in older adults, examining the degree to which dog ownership promotes walking activity in persons who do little walking on their own appears worth pursuing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]