Background: Dog walking is a strategy for increasing population levels of physical activity (PA). Numerous cross-sectional studies of the relationship between dog ownership and PA have been conducted. The purpose was to review studies comparing PA of dog owners (DO) to nondog owners (NDO), summarize the prevalence of dog walking, and provide recommendations for research.Methods: A review of published studies (1990−2010) examining DO and NDO PA and the prevalence of dog walking was conducted (N = 29). Studies estimating the relationship between dog ownership and PA were grouped to create a pointestimate using meta-analysis.Results: Most studies were conducted in the last 5 years, were cross-sectional, and sampled adults from Australia or the United States. Approximately 60% of DO walked their dog, with a median duration and frequency of 160 minutes/week and 4 walks/week, respectively. Meta-analysis showed DO engage in more walking and PA than NDO and the effect sizes are small to moderate (d = 0.26 and d = 0.16, respectively). Three studies provided evidence of a directional relationship between dog ownership and walking.Conclusions: Longitudinal and interventional studies would provide stronger causal evidence for the relationship between dog ownership and PA. Improved knowledge of factors associated with dog walking will guide intervention research.

In recent years, there have been multiple calls to enhance the population health and health promotion aspects of nursing programs. Further impetus has been provided by passage of the Affordable Care Act in 2010 with its focus on prevention. The need to develop students who can critically think and apply knowledge learned is crucial to the development of nurses who can integrate and apply the concepts of population-focused practice in society and a healthcare system undergoing transformation. This coupled with the ever changing needs of learners requires a different approach to content delivery and presentation. Flipped classroom courses, with an online component, offer the flexibility and technology desired by current undergraduate students. The use of a flipped classroom approach to re-design a population health course in a Midwestern nursing program resulted in stronger course evaluations from students and reflected better student understanding of the relevance of such content in a nursing curriculum.

This review discusses the relationship between animal-assisted interventions (AAI) and behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD). A systematic search was conducted within CINAHL, Web of Science CAB Abstracts, PubMed, Abstracts in Social Gerontology, Google Scholar, and PsycINFO for primary research articles. A total of 32 studies were included in the final review. Variation was noted in study designs and in study setting. Twenty-seven of 32 studies used dogs as the intervention. Agitation/aggression showed a significant decrease in nine of 15 studies. Eleven of 12 studies demonstrated increased social interaction with AAI. Mood had mixed results in nine studies. Quality of life was increased in three of four studies. Resident activity and nutritional intake were each increased in two studies. Animal assisted activities/interventions showed a strong positive effect on social behaviors, physical activity, and dietary intake in dementia patients and a positive effect on agitation/aggression and quality of life.

Type 2 diabetes is a major public health concern. Management of this condition has focused on behavior modification through diet and exercise interventions. A growing body of evidence has focused on temporality of dietary intake and exercise and potential effects on health. This review summarizes current literature that investigates the question “how does the timing of exercise relative to eating throughout the day effect postprandial response in adults?” Databases PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, and SPORTDiscus were searched between March–May 2019. Experimental studies conducted in healthy adults (≥18 y) and those with type 2 diabetes were included. Full texts were examined by at least two independent reviewers. Seventeen studies with a total of 332 participants met the inclusion criteria. The primary finding supports that exercise performed post-meal regardless of time of day had a beneficial impact on postprandial glycemia. There was insufficient evidence regarding whether timing of exercise performed pre- vs. post-meal or vice versa in a day is related to improved postprandial glycemic response due to inherent differences between studies. Future studies focusing on the investigation of timing and occurrence of meal intake and exercise throughout the day are needed to inform whether there is, and what is, an optimal time for these behaviors regarding long-term health outcomes.

Dog walking is associated with higher levels of physical activity (PA). However, not all dog owners walk their dog(s) at a level sufficient for health benefits. Therefore, identifying correlates of dog-walking may help to inform the design of more effective interventions to promote this specific form of PA. The purpose of this study was to examine psychosocial and environmental correlates of dog-walking and relationships of dog-walking with overall PA. In 2010, 391 dog owners (mean age = 43.6 ± 12.3 years) completed a survey. Multiple logistic regression and structural equation modeling were used to examine psychosocial and environmental correlates of dog-walking status, weekly minutes of dog-walking, and relationships of dog-walking with overall PA. Self-efficacy for dog-walking, dog-related outcome expectancies, family social support, dog social support, and neighborhood walking environment were associated with a 1.3–5.6 greater odds of being a dog walker. Self-efficacy mediated relationships between family support, dog support, and presence of a yard and dog-walking. Neighborhood environment, including the presence of greenery and trails, was also positively associated with duration of dog-walking (β = 0.17; p < 0.05). Every 30-minute increase in dog-walking was associated with a 23% greater odds of meeting PA guidelines by walking. Individual, social, and environmental factors consistent with a social–ecological framework were positively associated with dog-walking. Individuals were more likely to meet PA guidelines if they walked their dog(s) and engaged in dog-walking for longer duration.

Introduction: Physical inactivity elevates risk of chronic conditions and all-cause mortality. Given that health behavior changes often co-occur within couples, spouse-involved physical activity interventions have the potential to increase and maintain physical activity behavior of both partners. The purpose of this systematic review was to synthesize studies of physical activity interventions that include both partners in marital dyads to determine whether and how active involvement of both partners shapes the physical activity behavior change process. Methods: Randomized trials (N = 6) published through June 2017 were included in this systematic review under the following conditions: (1) both partners were directly involved in the intervention treatment group(s); (2) couples were randomly assigned to study conditions; and (3) physical activity or exercise was assessed as a primary outcome. Results: The six trials included 783 couples, with mean ages ranging from 27 to 71 years. These studies of couples and physical activity change were guided by established socio-behavioral perspectives and used a variety of strategies to promote behavior change. Overall, each of these studies demonstrated improvement in physical activity behavior, though improvements in physical activity did not differ consistently between intervention and comparison groups and sometimes were short-lived. Discussions: This systematic review provides initial support, albeit limited, that spouse-involved interventions can be effective in increasing physical activity. Addressing the needs and behavior change of both partners has the potential to increase effectiveness of couple-focused approaches to promote physical activity initiation and maintenance.