Children, parents and pets exercising together (CPET): exploratory randomised controlled trial

Area of Science:

• Pediatric health
• Behavioral science
• Public health interventions

Background:

• UK children exhibit lower physical activity (PA) levels than recommended.
• Novel strategies are needed to promote PA in this demographic.
• The Children, Parents and Pets Exercising Together (CPET) study explored a dog-based PA intervention for families.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility and acceptability of a family-based, dog walking intervention for 9-11 year olds.
• To evaluate the potential efficacy of the CPET intervention in increasing children's PA.
• To test a theory-driven approach to lifestyle change using pet dogs.

Main Methods:

• An exploratory randomized controlled trial (RCT) involving 28 families.
• Intervention group received a 10-week dog walking program with behavior change techniques.
• Primary outcome: 10-week change in total PA volume measured by accelerometers.

Main Results:

• High acceptability of the intervention and outcome measures reported by parents.
• No statistically significant difference in PA volume between intervention and control groups.
• Moderate-to-vigorous PA constituted 21% of parent and 39% of child dog walking time.

Conclusions:

• The CPET intervention is feasible and acceptable for promoting PA in children and parents through dog walking.
• While promising, this exploratory trial did not demonstrate a significant increase in child PA.
• Further research is warranted to optimize dog-based PA interventions for children.