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Is childhood obesity influenced by dog ownership? No cross-sectional or longitudinal evidence

Carri Westgarth1, Jon Heron, Andrew R Ness

  • 1Institute of Infection and Global Health, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK. carri.westgarth@liverpool.ac.uk

Obesity Facts
|December 14, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Dog ownership does not appear to lower the risk of childhood obesity. This study found no evidence that having a dog protects children from becoming overweight or obese.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Health
  • Obesity Research
  • Animal-Assisted Interventions

Background:

  • Childhood obesity is a significant public health concern.
  • The potential role of pet ownership, specifically dog ownership, in mitigating obesity risk is under investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between dog ownership and the risk of childhood obesity.
  • To determine if dog ownership influences changes in body mass index (BMI) over time.

Main Methods:

  • A cross-sectional and longitudinal study involving 7,759 children aged 7 years from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) in the UK.
  • Body mass index (BMI) was calculated from measured height and weight, standardized against UK 1990 data.
  • Dog ownership data were collected via carer questionnaires, with longitudinal analyses conducted between ages 7 and 9 years.

Main Results:

  • No statistically significant association was found between dog ownership and obesity at age 7 years after adjusting for confounding factors (OR = 1.18, 95% CI = 0.88-1.59, p = 0.27).
  • No evidence indicated that dog ownership affected BMI changes between ages 7 and 9 years.
  • Acquiring a dog did not alter the change in weight status for obese children between ages 7 and 9 years.

Conclusions:

  • This research provides no evidence supporting a protective effect of dog ownership against the development of childhood obesity.
  • Further research is recommended to explore the impact of dog ownership on physical activity levels in overweight and obese children.
Abstract

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