Dog owners walked about 23 minutes longer each day than non-dog owners. In a new study, dog owners took 2, 760 additional steps-compared to people who didn’t have a dog at home. But here’s the real good news: That extra exercise could help adults meet their recommended weekly totals for physical activity.
The research, published in BMC Public Health, focused on adults 65 and older, who tend to be less active than younger people. The study included 43 dog owners and 43 non-dog owners, all of whom were monitored (监控) continuously for three week-long periods. When they compared the two groups, the researchers found that dog ownership was connected with a large, potentially health-improving effect.
Dog owners walked about 23 minutes longer each day than non-dog owners, 119 minutes against 96 minutes on average. They also took an additional 2, 760 steps, and had eight fewer continuous periods of sitting down. Most of that extra walking was done at proper pace, 100 or more steps a minute. Dog owners walked at this pace for 32 minutes a day, against just 11 minutes a day for non-dog owners.
The World Health Organization (WHO) suggests that adults get at least 150 minutes of physical activity a week. This increased walking time alone could satisfy that requirement, say the researchers - so it makes sense that 87 percent of dog owners in the study met these guidelines, versus just 47 percent of non-dog owners.
Co-author Nancy Gee says that pet ownership may help older adults get more activity or keep their current activity level for a longer period of time. “This could improve their chances of a better quality of life, improved cognition (认知), and perhaps, even a long life, ” she said. Here at Health, we’ll add that caring for pets has been shown to have plenty of other physical and mental health benefits as well.
【小题1】What can we learn about the research?| A．It was targeted at old people. |
| B．It had an undesirable effect on dog owners. |
| C．It was sponsored (资助) by the BMC Public Heal. |
| D．It mainly considered the mental health of dog owners. |
| A．To show the guidelines of the research. |
| B．To present the results of the research. |
| C．To describe the process of doing the research. |
| D．To explain the reasons for conducting the research. |
| A．It will take a lot of time. |
| B．It will surely help people live a long life. |
| C．It enables older adults to live a healthy life. |
| D．It helps young adults to improve their quality of life. |
| A．Young people walk less today | B．Animal lovers are healthier |
| C．Non-pet owners enjoy more pleasure | D．Dog owners walk way more |
