Winter Rains Don't Deter Walkers With Dogs

When the weather turns rainy, does your new year’s resolution to walk more go down the drain as well? If you’re a dog owner, wet weather is less likely to keep you indoors. UVic researchers studied walkers with and without dogs in six area parks. While more people without dogs (73 per cent) visited parks than those with dogs (27 per cent) during the months of fair and poor weather, non-dog walking and vigorous activity levels fell significantly—by 35 per cent and five per cent respectively—when the weather turned foul. However, visits to parks by dog owners for walking increased during months of winter weather by almost six per cent.
        “Research has shown that walking is a very effective means of achieving physical activity levels for optimum health,” says UVic exercise psychologist Ryan Rhodes, one of the study’s writers. “And we know that dog owners walk more than non-dog owners. Our observational snapshot of park use supports earlier work that dogs serve as motivational support for their owners’ walking practices through fair and foul weather.”
        Rhodes and his fellow researchers want to expand on their research and are looking for adult dog owners who walk their dog(s) less than four times a week for a minimum of 30 minutes at a brisk pace and would like to be more active. Participants will be asked to complete a questionnaire and wear a pedometer for seven days at the start, middle and end of the three-month period. Honorariums of a $25 gift card will be given to participants at the mid and end points of study. Contact Holly Murray at 250-472-5488 or bml@uvic.ca if you are interested in participating.
       Results of the study will be published in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Physical Activity and Health.

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