None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
The main aim of the PAWalks study will be to examine the effectiveness of a technology-based dog-walking intervention for increasing daily physical activity (PA) of dog owners. The intervention is based on behaviour change theory and a commercially available wearable dog activity tracker (primary outcome: daily number of steps). The secondary objectives will be to examine if intervention-induced increases in PA are accompanied by improvements in sedentary behaviour (SB) and psychosocial health of owners (secondary outcomes: SB time, psychological distress, loneliness, positive affect, dog-ownership attributed social connections, dog-owner relationship), and frequency of canine behavioural problems.
Interventions
Participants in the intervention group will be provided with;
- Dog-walking education materials, two phone calls; one at the beginning and one at the end of the 3-month intervention period, weekly text messages and a dog activity tracker device (G-FitEdu, n=40).
- The dog-walking educational materials have been specifically designed for this study, and are based on multi-process action control and nascent dog-walking theory (goal-setting/coping strategies/behaviour monitoring).
- The purpose o
Participants in the intervention group will be provided with; - Dog-walking education materials, two phone calls; one at the beginning and one at the end of the 3-month intervention period, weekly text messages and a dog activity tracker device (G-FitEdu, n=40). - The dog-walking educational materials have been specifically designed for this study, and are based on multi-process action control and nascent dog-walking theory (goal-setting/coping strategies/behaviour monitoring). - The purpose of the initial phone call (5-10min) is to discuss the contents of the educational materials, ensure that the Fitbark 2 has been set-up properly (G-FitEdu group only) and create a dog-walking goal for the following 12 weeks. - The purpose of the second phone call (5 min) is to discuss progress towards the goal, and encourage continued use of the Fitbark 2 (G-FitEdu group only). - The purpose of the weekly text messages is to prompt participants for dog walking. - The intervention will be delivered by a trained research officer by email and phone. - One text message will be sent each week during the 3-month intervention period, totalling 12 text messages. - Participants will receive and complete the intervention within their usual place of occupancy, ie. their home/community. - To ensure adherence and fidelity, the researcher will ask questions about the participants use of the educational materials and dog tracker during the 3-month intervention period in the second phone call at the close of the intervention.
Sponsors
The University of Sydney
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Educational / counselling / training
Masking
Open (masking not used)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
• Aged 18 and over • Currently the owner of one dog that: o Has no veterinary conditions that would limit low intensity activities such as walking. o Has not entered the last decile of expected lifespan for the given breed o Is not less than 1 year old (not a puppy) • Absence of physical limitations that prevent walking • Residing within the Sydney Metropolitan Area (within 60km of the Sydney CBD) • Not pregnant or planning to become pregnant during the trial • Able to fluently speak and understand English.
Exclusion criteria
• Does not own a dog, or owns more than one dog. • Physical limitations that prevent walking • Pregnant or planning to become pregnant during the trial • Has previously or currently used a FitBark device or similar dog physical activity tracker device.
Outcome results
None listed