Physical Activity, Well-Being, and Community Engagement: A Socioecological Examination of Volunteers Walking Shelter Dogs

Melanie  Sartore-Baldwin; Bhibha  Das

doi:10.18502/jsbch.v9i2.20256

Melanie Sartore-Baldwin Department of Recreation Sciences, College of Health and Human Performance East Carolina University Greenville, NC 27858, United States.
Bhibha Das Department of Recreation Sciences, College of Health and Human Performance East Carolina University Greenville, NC 27858, United States.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/jsbch.v9i2.20256

Keywords: Exercise, Community engagement, Volunteers, Dogs, Walking, Health

Abstract

Background: The purpose of this work is to examine physical activity levels of volunteers who walk shelter dogs at an open-admission animal shelter in the southern United States. In doing so, shelter dog walking is presented as an activity of relational community engagement that can enhance well-being at all levels.

Methods: For this quasi-experimental study, a purposive sample of volunteer dog walkers in rural North Carolina was asked to record daily activity for a twelve-week period, with a total of 336 days submitted. Descriptive statistics and a paired-samples t-test were analyze the data.

Results: Data from a total of 336 days was collected. Paired-samples t-test was performed to compare outcomes assessed on days shelter dogs were not walked and days they were walked by volunteers. Significant differences were demonstrated for the steps taken (t(154) = 9.5, p < .001), the distance walked (t(154) = 9.0, p < .001), and the calories expended (t(154) = 5.2, p < .001).

Conclusion: The implications of these findings are multi-level and suggest walking shelter dogs can be a beneficial activity for all parties involved. At the micro-level, volunteers walked further, burned more calories, and accumulated more steps on days they walked shelter dogs. In turn, shelter staff and the local community benefited at the meso- and macro-levels, respectively.