Dog ownership, physical activity, loneliness and mental health: a comparison of older adult and younger adult companion animal owners.

Background and aim: Dog ownership has been suggested as an intervention to increase physical activity and improve mental health, but few studies have investigated the relationships between dog ownership, physical activity, and mental health outcomes together. This study aimed to (1) investigate whether dog ownership, CA-related physical activity, and non-CA-related physical activity were explanatory variables for the relationships between CA ownership, depression, and anxiety via loneliness and (2) examine whether the relationships between these variables differed for older adult CA owners compared to younger adult CA owners.

Method: Participants were Australian CA owners from the community (N = 588, 76.3% female) aged 18-84 years (M = 55.34, SD = 14.90). A cross-sectional design and online/phone survey methodology were used.

Results: Path analysis showed that dog owners (compared to owners of other CA types) engaged in higher levels of both CA-related and non-CA-related physical activity, but only non-CA-related physical activity was associated with mental health outcomes. Multigroup moderation analysis showed that older adult and younger adult CA owners experienced similar moderate levels of loneliness, while in younger adults this moderate loneliness was associated with higher levels of depression and anxiety as compared to older adults.

Conclusion: Our findings indicate people who choose to own dogs over other CA types engage in more active lifestyles, but it is the physical activity they perform independently of their dog that is associated with less loneliness and greater mental health. Members of the public should not be universally encouraged by health or other professionals to own a dog to support their mental health based on a belief that dog ownership leads to beneficial physical activity.