|
Location: East Lothian
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 531
|
22-09-2010, 08:52 PM
Owning a dog = Healthier Children?
By Sean Coughlan
BBC News education correspondent
Owning a dog improves children's activity levels, say researchers Owning a dog could help to lower the risk of childhood obesity, according to researchers.
A study of children in 78 inner-city primary schools in England found children in homes with dogs were more active than those without.
Researchers from St George's, University of London, were carrying out a study on child heart health.
They found that children in dog-owning families took part in more physical exercise and were less sedentary.
But researchers are still not sure whether this is a case of more active families being more likely to own a dog - or if owning a dog makes an otherwise sedentary family more active.
"It's a bit of a chicken and egg question. Long-term studies are needed to answer it, but it may be a bit of both," says Christopher Owen, senior lecturer in epidemiology at St George's.
Active play
The study measured levels of activity, such as the number of steps walked and time spent in light or moderate to vigorous physical activity, using a sample of more than 2,000 nine and 10-year-old children.
About one in 10 of these families, in London, Birmingham and Leicester, lived in a household with a dog.
It found a consistent picture for both boys and girls, on weekdays and weekends, that children in dog-owning families had a higher level of physical activity.
This could mean that children were accompanying their parents when walking the dog - or playing with the dog at home, rather than playing on the computer or watching television.
This increased activity could mean a significant difference for children's long-term health, says Dr Owen, reducing the risk of obesity or diabetes.
"It will confer a benefit on their health," he says.
|
|
Location: B'ham (nr the airport)
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 2,963
|
23-09-2010, 08:12 AM
For those who are active, obviously the dogs are more active and so are the kids. Oscar walks our dogs with me (he has his own lead attached so he thinks "he's" walking them).
Oscar helps with their training and plays with them a lot; in the house, garden and when we go to the fields. I think it's fantastic to see children and dogs play together. There's no better relationship IMO.
Oscar is the same as other kids though. He has his games, his Nintendo DS, his PS2 etc. He does play with them but usually for about 20 minutes at the most. Then he gets bored and wants to "do" something.
He'll watch TV, particularly Tom & Jerry. But 10 minutes into it he's bored and looking for somethign to do or somewhere to go. The ONLY times he's still and inactive (physically) is when he's asleep in bed (and even then his toes are always moving
- no idea what that's about!) or when we go to the cinema to see something he's specifically asked to see.He's always been active - running, playing, bike rides, scooter rides, playing in the park etc. So I think to a large extent also it's down to the individual. Because of my stumpy left knee I can't do certain things with Oscar or I have to change the way in which I do them. So if people say they're unable to do something active with their kids or don't have the time, I tend not to believe them. If I can manage with what's wrong with me and Oscar is still a very active, physically & mentally fit 6 year old, then so can everyone else.
|
|
 |
«
Previous Thread
|
Next Thread
»
| Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests) | |
|
|