Background@#Many studies have reported that
dog ownership is effective in encouraging
physical activity. However, the
association between living with a
dog and enhanced
physical activity has not been clearly verified. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the effects of
dog ownership on the amount of
physical activity in a representative sample of Korean
adults. @*
Methods@#This
cross-sectional study administered the International
Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) to 1,299 individuals
who visited the international
healthcare center of one
hospital in
Seoul,
Korea, between August and December in 2018. Based on responses to the IPAQ
survey, the amount and duration of
physical activity was calculated to analyze relationships with
dog ownership. @*Results@#The total amount (P=0.02) and duration of
physical activity (P=0.02) and the duration of vigorous-intensity
physical activity (P=0.04) were significantly higher among
dog owners than non-
dog owners. The duration of daily
physical activity increased with
dog ownership by 18.6 minutes (P=0.01). A comparison of
dog owners according to whether they walked with their
dogs revealed that
dog walking had no significant effect on the amount and duration of
physical activity, inactivity, or
health-enhancing
physical activity status. There was a
sex-specific
association between
dog ownership and total duration of
physical activity in
females. @*Conclusion@#The duration of
physical activity increased by
dog ownership. However, the higher levels of
physical activity among
dog owners may not necessarily be explained by
dog ownership or
walking with
dogs. This outcome suggests that raising a
dog can help promote
physical activity.