Research meets practice: Human-animal interaction in obesity across the lifespan

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Given that the obesity and obesity-related disease epidemic continues to rage in the U.S., there exists a need to examine innovative approaches to its reversal and to facilitate health and fitness among all citizens, but particularly among minorities, who have the highest incidence of obesity-related diseases across age groups. Dog-walking, found to positively influence physical activity, is a focus of the proposed one-day symposium aiming to foster dialogue between investigators and health care practitioners in the human-animal interaction field, resulting in collaborative projects in creative new directions. A vital component of the symposium will be supporting health professionals of minority groups to attend, enabling their participation in the learning and dialogue. The proposed one-time, one-day symposium will be imbedded between the annual conference of the International Society for Anthrozoology (ISAZ), and the first Human-Animal Interaction (HAI) conference sponsored by the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine's Research Center for Human Animal Interaction and Sinclair School of Nursing. The ISAZ is the international group of investigators conducting research in the area of human-animal interaction. The HAI conference will be the first of its kind devoted to information dissemination and dialogue between health care professionals from such fields as nursing, medicine, veterinary medicine, social work, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and counseling. Additional participants in this conference will be those working in animal-related fields such as animal rescue groups, animal shelters, and pet therapy visitation groups. For the symposium proposed in the grant application, plenary speakers who are well-respected in the fields of physical activity, growth and development across the lifespan, and dog-walking will give invited lectures and engage in dialogue with symposium participants. Refereed paper and poster presentations related to the human-animal interaction and physical activity theme for the symposium will be selected by the blind peer review process. Discussion activities such as "speed networking" in which participants move through the group fellow participants in 5-10 minute timed sessions sharing insight and ideas from their own work will be innovative features of the symposium. These activities will be used to foster dialog between participants and speakers so that ideas for new collaborative projects may be germinated. Another major outcome product of the symposium will be a published volume of the papers presented. This will be available to participants, but will also be marketed through online web-pages of numerous human-animal interaction associations and groups. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Given that the obesity and obesity-related disease epidemic continues to rage in the U.S., there exists a need to examine innovative approaches to its reversal and to facilitate health and fitness among all citizens, but particularly among minorities, who have the highest incidence of obesity-related diseases. Dog-walking, found to positively influence physical activity, is a focus of the proposed one-day symposium aiming to foster dialogue between investigators and health care practitioners in the human-animal interaction field, resulting in collaborative projects in creative new directions. A vital component of the symposium will be supporting health professionals of minority groups to attend, enabling their participation in the learning and dialogue.