Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Evaluation Of The Dogs, Physical Activity, And Walking (Dogs Paw) Intervention: A Randomized Controlled Trial, Elizabeth Richards, N Ogata, C Cheng

School of Nursing Faculty Publications

Abstract: Background. To facilitate physical activity (PA) adoption and maintenance, promotion of innovative population-level strategies that focus on incorporating moderate intensity, lifestyle PA are needed. Objectives. The purpose of this randomized controlled trial was to evaluate the Dogs, Physical Activity, and Walking intervention (PAW), a 3-month, social cognitive theory (SCT) e-mail based PA intervention. Methods. In a longitudinal, repeated measures design, 49 dog owners were randomly assigned to a control (n=25) or intervention group (n=24). The intervention group received email messages (twice-weekly for four weeks and weekly for eight weeks) designed to influence SCT constructs of self-efficacy, self-regulation, outcome expectations …

Dogs, Physical Activity, And Walking (Dogs Paw): Acceptability And Feasibility Of A Pilot Physical Activity Intervention, Elizabeth Richards

School of Nursing Faculty Publications

Background. The aims of this study were to describe the development of and investigate the feasibility and acceptability of a pilot randomized controlled physical activity intervention based on social cognitive theory which used a dog walking strategy.

Methods. Participants (n=49) were randomized into an intervention or control group. Overall, participants were middle-aged (mean=45.7±13.4 years), Caucasian, and on average considered obese with an average BMI of 30.0±5.5. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize participant characteristics and analyze the feasibility and acceptability data. Regression models were used to: 1) examine significant differences between intervention and control groups across time (baseline to post-intervention) …