Association of new dog ownership with physical activity and social contact: the retrospective study

This study investigated whether new dog ownership without past ownership leads to increased physical activity and social contact compared to non-dog ownership. We analyzed data from 1,210 participants: 81 new dog owners who have never owned a dog before and started ownership within the past year, 614 non-dog owners with a past ownership history, and 515 non-dog owners without a past ownership history. New dog owners reported significant positive changes in walking activity compared with non-dog owners without a past ownership history (coefficient=-4.83, SE = 2.44, P value = 0.048). New dog owners perceived significant positive changes in the frequency of non-face-to-face contact with friends and neighbors as compared with non-dog owners with (Coefficient=-0.31, SE = 0.14, P value = 0.022) and without a past ownership history (Coefficient=-0.33, SE = 0.14, P value = 0.018). This study of new dog owners will help elucidate the mechanisms through which increased physical activity and social contact may contribute to a positive association between dog ownership and health outcomes.