U-CAN-MOVE!
Project overview
Participants
More related research
Short summary
In today's modern society, regular physical activity is vital for people's physical & mental health. Despite this, the proportion of sedentary people is increasing. The overall aim of our project is to stimulate long-term increased physical activity in dog owners and dogs.
Background
In today's modern society with increased sedentary behavior, regular physical activity is vital for people's physical & mental health. Despite this, sedentary behavior is on the rise, and according to the latest global measurements, around one third of the adult population does not meet the WHO recommendations for physical activity. Lack of physical activity increases the risk of developing diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease and some cancers. Lack of physical activity is also a growing problem in our pet dogs, increasing the risk of increased body condition, metabolic disorders and chronic diseases. There is evidence to suggest that dog ownership brings health benefits - as dog owners are known to be more physically active than non-dog owners. Despite this, up to 70% of dog owners in the Western world are insufficiently physically active and 20-40% do not walk their dogs. What this pattern looks like among Swedish dog owners & dogs is not yet known.
Why this project is important
The overall aim of our project is to stimulate long-term increased physical activity in dog owners and dogs.
In 2021, the research group conducted a pilot study evaluating the effect of SBK's training program “Upp och hoppa - sund med hund” on health factors in both dog owners and dogs. Preliminary results show an increased quality of life in participating dog owners after the training program, and a decrease in the number of holes in their dogs. More information about the training program can be found via this link: U-CAN-MOVE Evaluation of training program.
In 2023, we conducted a nationwide survey to investigate the health and lifestyle habits of up to 2000 Swedish dog owners and their dogs. In the study, we also investigated the importance of the outdoor environment for dog owners' physical activity, and in which environments dog owners spend time with their dogs.
Upcoming research studies - get involved too!
We are also planning a more extensive follow-up of the ‘Up and at 'em - healthy with dogs’ training study, scheduled to start in late 2024. For this, we will recruit dog owners interested in participating in the study. Would you like to participate with your dog? Contact PhD student Klara Smedberg at klara.smedberg@slu.se.
Collaborations
In addition to the participants from SLU, the research group also includes the following people:
- Professor Jan Eriksson, MD, Chief Physician, Department of Medical Sciences, Uppsala University
- PhD Sören Spörndly-Nees, Physiotherapist, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Uppsala University, Region Uppsala
- Associate Professor Lena Kallings, Department of Physical Activity and Health, Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences
- Britta Agardh, initiator and national coordinator of SBK's project “Upp och hoppa - sund med hund”
In addition, the following people are involved in the project as partners:
- Emma Pihl, architect, FOJAB
- Åsa Samuelsson, architect, FOJAB
- VMD Johanna Penell, Department of Clinical Sciences, SLU
- VMD Anne Vitger, Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine, University of Copenhagen
- Associate Professor Christian Benedict, Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Uppsala University
- Professor Ulf Risérus, Department of Public Health and Care Sciences, Uppsala University