Wasantha Jayawardene MD PhD^1,, Jeanne Johnston PhD², Jimmy McDonnel BS², Laurel Curran MPH³, Lesa Huber PhD⁴, Stephanie Dickinson MAS⁵, Xiwei Chen MS⁵, Elizabeth Richards PhD⁶, Aletha Carson DVM⁷

Objectives: Dog-walkers are more likely to achieve moderate-intensity physical activity. While human activity trackers have been shown to increase physical activity intensity, dog activity trackers may increase owner’s awareness of their dog’s physical activity. This trial examined the effects of simultaneous use of activity trackers by humans and their dogs. Methods: In this 2x2 factorial randomized trial (N=85), each group consisted of dog-human duos, in which both human and dog, human only, dog only, or none were wearing an activity tracker for 8 weeks. ANCOVA tests compared ActiGraph accelerometer data across groups in week-1 and week-10. Chi-square tests compared human activity tracker data during eight weeks. Results: Based on accelerometer data in week-1 and week-10, group assignment had no statistically significant effect on sedentary, light, moderate, or vigorous activity, but between-group difference in moderate activity was marginally significant. However, activity tracker data during the 8-week trial period demonstrated that humans in the group that used both human and dog activity trackers compared to humans in the group that used only human activity trackers completed more light physical activity. There were no significant changes in body composition. Conclusions: While simultaneous use of activity trackers by dog-human duos was associated with increased light physical activity among humans over eight weeks, a longer trial with a larger sample size may establish behavioral differences between groups. Simultaneous use may also increase dog-engaged physical activities and sustained use of trackers. Future studies should explore interventions that use paired activity trackers for improving human physical activity.

Human activity trackers, Canine activity trackers, Dog walking, Physical activity