emotional hunger, and the influence of media on food selection ( 7, 8). There are many similarities between dog and human obesity, including clinical consequences of obesity, the needs for nutrition and physical activity behavior change, understanding physical vs. One emerging consideration for obesity prevention strategy is the incorporation of companion pets to promote engagement in healthier behaviors. With such concerning statistics, there is a need for engaging, innovative, and effective strategies to not only manage, but even more importantly prevent obesity in the US population. More recent studies estimate that the prevalence of overweight and obesity in dogs has increased to over 50% of the canine population ( 6). In 1995, 34.1% of adult dogs in the United States were overweight or obese ( 5). In parallel to human obesity, pet obesity is also a serious and growing concern. Furthermore, it is predicted that 33% of children and 50% of adolescents will be either overweight or obese by 2030 ( 4). The prevalence of obesity has consistently risen since 1999 and it is predicted that by 2030 78% of American adults will be either obese or overweight, with nearly 50% of adults being obese ( 4). The obesity epidemic is a prominent health concern affecting adults and children in the United States, and since the 1970s its prevalence has been increasing at an alarming rate ( 1– 4). These findings could be leveraged in future interventions to promote healthier and more active lifestyles for both dog owners and their dogs in an engaging and innovative obesity prevention approach. Owner body mass index was positively correlated with dog body condition score ( r = 0.60, p < 0.001).Ĭonclusion: Our findings support a possible association between overweight status in dogs and their owners. Frequency of overweight and obesity in dog owners was 31.6 and 26.3%, respectively, and 50.0 and 13.2% in dogs, also, respectively. Results: The median body mass index of dog owners was 26 (range of 17–53) and the median body condition score of dogs was 6 (range of 4–9). Spearman correlation was used to compare weight status in dogs and their owners. Body mass index of dog owners and body condition scores of dogs were measured on site. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional correlation study collected data from 38 adult dog owners aged 18 years and older and their dogs at three pet festivals throughout New England. The objective of this study was to determine if there was an association between body mass index of adult dog owners and corresponding weight status in their dogs. about the association between weight status among dog owners and their dogs. One possible strategy is a One Health approach incorporating dogs into prevention programs however, little data exist in the U.S. 3Department of Psychology, Tufts University School of Arts and Sciences, Medford, MA, United Statesīackground and Aim: Obesity is a serious health issue in people and their pets, with a need for innovative and engaging prevention strategies.2Department of Clinical Sciences, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, North Grafton, MA, United States.
1Tufts Institute for Human-Animal Interaction, Tufts University, Grafton, MA, United States.Linder 1,2 *, Sasha Santiago 2 and Eli D.
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