RESEARCH
_edited.jpg)
The KID Study: Kids Interacting with Dogs
The KID Study (Kids Interacting with Dogs) is study coming soon (March 2024) examining family dog ownership & youth physical activity.
The Lifestyle, Brain and Cognitive Health Study
The Lifestyle, Brain and Cognitive Health Study is a recently completed study examining lifestyle factors impacting cognition in older adults.
Results coming soon!
Project Rover is a dog walking intervention for adults over age 60. The Project Rover pilot was conducted in the lab in 2019. Presentations and publications forthcoming!
In the BuddyStudy, we used dog fostering as a proxy for dog acquisition, and examined how taking a dog into one’s home affects physical activity and psychosocial well-being. All study participants fostered a shelter dog through Last Hope K9 Rescue (https://www.lasthopek9.org/). Most adopted their foster dog after the study!
The BuddyStudy pilot was recently published open-access in the journal Animals: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/9/9/666
The PALS study had two parts. PALS part I was a cross-sectional survey study (n=422) investigating the health benefits of dog and cat ownership. PALS part II used accelerometers (n=50) to determine the intensity of dog walking behavior (e.g., light versus moderate) and to examine variations in physical activity among dog owners (compared to non-dog owners) across seasons.
Manuscripts from PALS are currently in preparation!
The SPOT study was a randomized controlled pilot trial (n=41) that tested dog obedience training as an intervention to increases physical activity among inactive dog owners. SPOT was performed in partnership with Caryl-Rose Pofcher of My Dog, LLC in Hadley, MA (http://www.mydogtraining.net/)
The SPOT study was supported by an award from the American College of Sports Medicine Paffenbarger-Blair Fund for Epidemiological Research on Physical Activity to Dr. Potter.
The primary outcomes paper is under review!