Cath Smith, University of Otago, NZ joint CeMoRe & Faculty of Health and Medicine
Date: 20 July 2016 Time: 2.00 to 3.30pm
Venue: Bowland North SR07
APOLOGIES FOR CHANGE OF DATE
All those ingredients of the walk”:
The therapeutic spaces of dog-walking for people with long-term health conditions
There is growing evidence that dog-walking contributes to better health for dog owners; however, we do not know whether dog owners living with a long-term health condition experience similar health benefits.
Working within the Mobilities paradigm, we conducted dog-walk-along interviews and follow-up participatory analysis sessions with 13 individuals living with various long-term health conditions (age range 30-81). Three participants regularly walked ‘loaner’ dogs; 12 lived with their dog(s). All sessions were audio-recorded and 12 dog-walk-along interviews were video-recorded using head-mounted cameras. Recordings were transcribed verbatim and contextual data were simultaneously added to the transcripts. A general inductive approach was used to code and categorise the data.
We identified four initial themes around dog-walking. Participants described a ‘special relationship’ with their dog(s) which took time to develop and, was not always possible with other humans as a consequence of illness and stigma. This relationship triggered ‘motivation’ to walk, often the only form of sustained physical activity for participants. Walking the dog facilitated human conversations that had been lost through ’isolation’. The ‘dog-walk recipe’ was described as a multi-sensory experience that contributed positively and negatively to perceived health and wellbeing. These four themes provide novel insights into the connections between dog-walking and wellbeing which can be mapped onto a ‘therapeutic spaces’ model where interconnected and multi-dimensional constructs cause wellbeing to flourish or decline.
We conclude that dog-walking can create therapeutic spaces that sustain wellbeing in people with long-term health conditions. In order to maximise these benefits, we recommend dog-training, relationship planning, dog-walking support and, further consultation with urban planners and policy makers with regards to dog-walking spaces. Further research is required for the idea of ‘loaner dogs’ in order to identify whether the responsibilities of ownership can be mitigated whilst still delivering some of the perceived benefits.
Cath Smith, Steve Tumilty (Centre for Health, Activity and Rehabilitation Research, School of Physiotherapy, University of Otago, Dunedin, NZ)
Gareth Treharne (Department of Psychology, University of Otago)
Event website: http://www.otago.ac.nz/physio/people/academic/profile/index.html?id=1136
Contact:
Who can attend: Anyone
Further information
Associated staff: Tony Gatrell (Division of Health Research)
Organising departments and research centres: Centre for Mobilities Research (CeMoRe), Medicine, Mobilities.Lab, Sociology
Keywords: Health, Health behaviour, Heart, Mobilities
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