Unleashing their potential: a critical realist scoping review of the influence of dogs on physical activity for dog-owners and non-owners.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Dog-owners tend to be more physically active than non-owners; however, dogs have also been shown to inhibit physical activity for non-owners, under some circumstances.

Methods

We conducted a scoping review to identify studies pertaining to the influence of dogs on physical activity for both dog-owners and non-owners, and adopted a critical realist orientation to draw inferences about the positive and negative impact of dogs via their affect on physical and social environments.

Results

We identified 35 studies from disparate literatures for review. These studies confirm that dog and owner behaviors affect shared physical and social environments in ways that may influence physical activity patterns, not only among dog-owners but also among non-owners. The dir

SUBMITTER: Toohey AM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3123259 | biostudies-literature | 2011 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature