Health Perceptions and Levels of Attachment: Owners and Pets Exercising Together

Article Figures & Data

Table 1. Owners and Pets Exercising Together Phase 1 Demographic Data (N = 75)

Variable	N or Mean (SD)	Percent or Range
Sex
Male	13	17
Female	62	83
Marital status
Married	36	48
Divorced	9	12
Separated	1	1
Never married	29	39
Living status
Live alone	15	20
Live with other(s)	60	80
Race
American Indian/Alaska Native	1	1
Black/African American	6	8
White	61	82
Other	7	8
Income
<$20,000	2	3
$20,000–$40,000	14	19
$40,000–$60,000	4	5
$60,000–$80,000	15	20
$80,000–$100,000	8	11
>$100,000	32	43
Education
High school or GED	4	5
Some technical school	2	3
Technical school graduate	3	4
Some college	15	20
College graduate	23	31
Postgraduate/professional degree	28	37
Physical assessment
Owner age	43.5 (4.6)	18–73
Owner BMI^*	28.5 (6.8)	17.8–51.6
Dog BCS	6 (1.2)	4–9
Self-report measures
LAPS	56.5 (8.6)	31–68
SF-12–PCS	51.1 (8.1)	22–62
SF-12–MCS	50.6 (9.2)	18–62
MOS	4.3 (0.6)	2.8–5
IPAQ total METS (self-reported activity)	3493 (3643)	0–17,832

↵* BMI was available for 72 owners.
BMI, body mass index; BCS, body condition score; LAPS, Lexington Attachment to Pets Scale; PCS, physical component score; MCS, mental component summary; MOS, Medical Outcomes Survey; IPAQ, International Physical Activity Questionnaire; METS, metabolic equivalents.

Table 2. Correlations between Body Mass Index and Self-Reported Measures of Health, Social Support, and Physical Activity

Variable	Correlation^* with Owner BMI (P)
Somatic measures
Owner age	r = 0.02 (NS)
Dog body conditioning score	r = −0.81 (NS)
Self-report measures
Lexington Attachment to Pet Scale	r = 0.29 (P = .03)
SF-12 physical component scores	r = −0.20 (NS)
SF-12 mental component scores	r = −0.02 (NS)
Medical Outcome Survey social support score	r = −0.27 (P = .02)
International Physical Activity Questionnaire (self-reported physical activity levels)^†	r = 0.08 (NS)

↵* Spearman ρ.
↵† International Physical Activity Questionnaire correlated with SF-12 physical component score (r = 0.26; P = .03).
BMI, body mass index; NS, nonsignificant.