Senior citizens who live with dogs appear to meet internationally recognized exercise goals just by walking them, a new study suggests.
Researchers matched 43 older adults with dogs to another 43 without dogs and measured their time spent walking. Compared to those without canine companions, dog owners walked on average 23 minutes more a day - enough to meet U.S. and international exercise recommendations for substantial health benefits, the research found.
“It’s very difficult to find any other intervention that produces this size of effect,” said senior author Dr. Daniel Simon Mills, a professor of veterinary behavioral medicine at the University of Lincoln in England.
It's good evidence that dog ownership amongst the elderly increases physical activity in a meaningful and healthy way.
