NHS ‘should prescribe dogs’ to keep over-65s fit

DOCTORS should ‘prescribe’ dogs to help patients stay active in retirement, a study advises.

Researchers found over-65s who owned a dog got an extra 22 minutes of moderate exercise a day, compared with those who did not – enough to meet the World Health Organisation’s recommended minimum.

Researchers looked at 43 pairs of dog owners and non-owners, aged 65-81 in Lincolnshire, Derbyshire and Cambridgeshire. Each wore an activity monitor counting their steps and were asked to keep a diary.

Dog owners took 10,030 steps a day, compared with 7,260 for those without dogs. The dog owners spent 119 minutes a day walking, 32 minutes at a moderate pace, compared with 96 minutes and 11 minutes for non-owners.

Writing in the journal BMC Public Health, the authors said: ‘Owning a dog, may therefore motivate older adults to engage in appropriate levels of physical activity for health. Health promotion professionals could consider encouraging appropriate dog ownership, or shared care of a dog to promote physical activity in older adults.’

Lead researcher Dr Philippa Dall, senior fellow at Glasgow Caledonian University, said: ‘Over the course of a week this additional time spent walking may in itself be sufficient to meet WHO recommendations of at least 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity.

Co-author Nancy Gee, of the Waltham centre for pet nutrition, said: ‘Our results indicate dog ownership may play an important role in encouraging older adults to walk more … which could improve their prospects for a better quality of life, improved or maintained cognition … even overall longevity.’