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OBJECTIVE To determine the number and species of animals cared for by the PetSafe program at the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine (a community service offered to meet the short-term housing needs of pets, especially pets owned by victims of intimate partner violence) from 2004 through 2019 and collect information on duration of stay, outcome, health problems, and expenses. ANIMALS 229 animals cared for by the PetSafe program. PROCEDURES Medical records were reviewed for information on species, breed, age, duration of stay, outcome of stay, client referral source, whether the animal had been cared for previously, health problems, medical interventions, and expenses incurred. RESULTS There were 124 dogs, 95 cats, 6 ferrets, and 4 sugar gliders; 187 of the animals were returned to their owners, 37 were rehomed, and 5 were euthanized because of medical conditions. The most common health problems were dental disease and dermatological complaints (eg, flea infestation and resulting fleabite dermatitis). None of the animals had physical evidence of abuse. Mean duration of stay was 22 days (range, 1 to 93 days), and mean ± SD cost per animal was $368 ± $341. CLINICAL RELEVANCE Over the 16-year period of the study, the number and species of animals cared for by the PetSafe program at Purdue and the health problems encountered in those animals were relatively stable, and the program was able to meet the relatively predictable financial costs incurred through existing sources of funding.

Background The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in public health and policy measures to reduce in-person contact and the transmission of the virus. These measures impacted daily life and mental well-being (MWB). The aims of this study were to explore the MWB impacts of COVID-19 on children and assess the associations among perceived changes in physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviors (SB), with perceived MWB changes, using a mixed-methods approach. Methods A convergent parallel mixed-methods design consisting of an online survey with a convenience sample and interviews was conducted from May through July 2020 with parents/caregivers of kindergarten through 5th graders in the St. Louis region. Survey domains assessed included child MWB, PA, and SB. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and qualitatively analyzed using a code book developed to elicit themes. Survey data was analyzed with chi-squared tests and logistic regressions. The dependent variable was perceived change in child MWB due to the impact of COVID-19. Independent variables included perceived changes in PA, SB, and child concerns about COVID-19. Results Sample size consisted of 144 surveys and 16 interviews. Most parents reported a perceived decrease in child MWB (74%), a decrease in child PA (61%), and an increase in child SB (91%). Discontentment with stay-at-home orders and concern about COVID-19 were associated with a perceived decrease in MWB. Children whose PA decreased were 53% less likely to have the same or better MWB (OR 0.47) and children whose outside PA decreased were 72% less likely to have the same or better MWB (OR 0.28). Common qualitative themes included difficulty in adjusting to COVID-19 restrictions due to school closures and lack of socializing, child concerns about family getting sick, and PA benefits for improving MWB. Conclusions Based on parent perceptions, MWB decreased with COVID-19. Maintained or increased child PA improved the chances MWB would remain the same or improve. Parent interviews provide context to these findings by showing how COVID-19 impacted MWB and the associations between PA and MWB. Understanding protective factors for child MWB during COVID-19 is important to offset negative long-term health outcomes from this ongoing pandemic.

OBJECTIVE To summarize and describe the current US surveillance systems that assess physical activity (PA) for work and commuting. METHODS An expert group conducted an environmental scan, generating a list (n = 18) which was ultimately reduced to 12, based on the inclusion of PA and/or sedentary behavior data. RESULTS The 12 surveys or surveillance systems summarized provide nationally representative data on occupational-level PA or individual-level PA at work, data on active commuting, some are scorecards that summarize workplace health best practices and allow benchmarking, and one is a comprehensive nationally representative survey of employers assessing programs and practices in different worksites. CONCLUSIONS The various surveillance systems and surveys/scorecards are disparate and need to be better analyzed and summarized to understand the impact of occupational-level PA and commuting on population health and well-being, life expectancy, and workforce productivity.

Introduction: Rural communities in the US face disproportionately higher rates of physical inactivity as well as coronary heart disease mortality, when compared to their urban and suburban counterparts. As such, increasing physical activity (PA) and reducing barriers to PA is critical in improving population health. Neighborhood characteristics have been shown to influence PA, but are understudied in rural communities. The current analysis: (1) describes PA patterns in rural mid-western communities, and (2) examines the associations of and interactions between individual and environmental correlates of objectively assessed weekly moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) minutes. Hypotheses: Overall, we expected low levels of weekly MVPA in rural residents; with lower levels anticipated in female, older, and low-income participants. We also expected positive associations of favorable perceptions of the neighborhood environment, trail use, and self-efficacy for PA with weekly MVPA. Finally, the test of interactions between intrapersonal and perceived environmental factors in relation to weekly MVPA is exploratory. Methods: Telephone surveys were conducted with 280 adults in 14 rural southeast Missouri communities, who were also asked to wear accelerometer devices for seven days. Participants were recruited via address-based sampling, and at local community events. Participants self-reported demographic information (age, sex, income), individual level behavioral factors (self-efficacy for PA, trail use) and neighborhood environment perceptions (indoor recreational access, safety from traffic, home neighborhood environment). Weekly MVPA minutes were assessed using the accelerometry data. Generalized linear mixed models using a negative binomial distribution were used examining associations of and interactions between individual characteristics and environmental correlates with weekly MVPA (Analyses were conducted using STATA V15). Results: Participants had a weekly average of 97 minutes MVPA, with 21% meeting PA guidelines. Increased age and being female were significantly associated with lower weekly MVPA. Additionally, increased self-efficacy and trail use were significantly associated with higher weekly MVPA. When exploring interaction effects, there was a significant interaction between gender and safety from traffic. For females, increased perceived safety from traffic was associated with lower MVPA. Conclusions: Rural residents have low levels of PA with less than a quarter meeting PA guidelines (75 minutes of vigorous and/or 150 minutes of moderate PA per week). Specifically, female residents face disproportionately lower levels of MVPA, with only 75 weekly minutes compared to 135 weekly minutes in males. Promoting trail use and targeting self efficacy for PA, may be effective strategies for increasing PA in rural residents.

Background. Physical activity (PA) rates are lower in rural populations, compared to urban and suburban counterparts. Since PA is shown to decrease the risk of cancers and chronic diseases, increasing PA in rural environments is an important disease-prevention strategy. However, in order to develop effective interventions for rural populations, more research is needed. The purpose of the study was to elicit rural residents’ thoughts and perceptions related to PA and walking trail use. Methods. Key informant interviews were conducted via telephone, with 62 adults, living in six rural communities in southeast Missouri, who identified as stakeholders, walking trail users, and nontrail users. Participants were recruited through word of mouth and snowball sampling. Interviews were digitally audio-recorded, transcribed, and qualitatively analyzed. Findings. Analysis revealed variation within the rural population, with each town unique in what constituted barriers and facilitators to PA. Life priorities other than physical health were found to be important motivators to PA and also influenced how PA was obtained. Community size was found to impact community resources and infrastructure, although this was mitigated by poverty rates. Conclusion. Rural communities are distinct from one another with different views and approaches to PA. Future interventions designed to increase PA should be mindful of differences at the individual and town levels and avoid a one-size-fits-all approach. Interventions would benefit from insight and support from community members and stakeholders, to facilitate a tailored approach to increase PA.

Background: As the role of the clinical exercise physiologist expands, early mobility is an area of potential focus. A rural Midwestern intensive care unit began a mobility program alongside its open-heart surgery program. The mobility specialist, who was trained as a clinical exercise physiologist, was tasked to ambulate the open-heart surgery patients. The purpose of this pilot study was to determine the effectiveness of a mobility specialist on ambulation frequency and distance on post open-heart surgery patients. Methods: Data were collected retrospectively for 1 month on ambulation frequency and distance to determine the mobility specialist's impact on the variables. Results: Data was collected on 18 patients (15 male, 3 female) over the month. Overall, when the mobility specialist was present, patients ambulated further (M = 421 feet versus 189 feet, P = 0.039) and more often (M = 3.32 versus 1.43 ambulations per day, P < 0.001). Conclusion: In this study, having a mobility specialist with a background in exercise physiology led to more frequent and distant ambulation. Therefore, a mobility specialist should be considered an integral member of a multidisciplinary clinical team in rural intensive care units.

The mental health status of veteran cancer survivors is understudied. Given that studies show that physical activity (PA) may alleviate mental distress in cancer patients, the purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between PA and mental distress in veteran lung and colorectal cancer survivors. Data for the present study were retrieved from the 2016 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. The relationship between PA and the number of mentally distressful days in the last 30 days was examined among veteran lung cancer survivors and veteran colorectal cancer survivors with survey-weighted multiple linear regression. After adjusting for relevant covariates, results showed that colorectal cancer survivors had significantly more mentally distressful days compared to lung cancer survivors, B = 0.75 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.64, 0.86). Furthermore, PA was significantly related to fewer days of mental distress in both lung and colorectal cancer survivors, B = −0.33 (95% CI = −0.4...

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore parent perceptions of changes in child physical activity during COVID-19 stay-at-home orders.Design: A cross-sectional study.Setting: The research team used social media, relevant organizations, and neighborhood groups to distribute the survey link in May and June of 2020.Subjects: A convenience sample of parents of children aged 5–12.Measures: Survey to assess parental perceptions of changes in children's physical activity before and during stay-at-home orders, and environmental and social barriers to physical activity.Analysis: Results were analyzed using descriptive statistics, bivariate comparisons, and multinomial-logistic regression models with covariates of environmental factors, social factors, and frequency of factors as barriers on association with perceived physical activity change.Results: Data from 245 parents were analyzed. A majority (63.7%) of parents reported a decrease in children's physical activity during stay-at-home orders. More parents indicated social barriers (e.g., lack of access to playmates) than environmental barriers (e.g., lack of access to neighborhood play spaces) to children's physical activity. In multivariate analyses, the odds of parents reporting decreased physical activity was greater for those reporting lack of playmates (OR = 4.72; 95% CI: 1.99–11.17) and lack of adult supervision (OR = 11.82; 95% CI: 2.48–56.28) as barriers. No environmental barriers were significantly associated with decreased children's physical activity.Conclusion: The unique aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic provide a natural experiment for developing social and environmental strategies to improve children's overall physical activity. Assessing parental perceptions is a way to inform these future efforts.

Objective: In this study, we explore parent perception of children’s physical activity and screen time during COVID-19 stay-at-home orders. Methods: We interviewed 16 parents of children ages 5-12 years in the St. Louis, Missouri region using snowball sampling. We sampled from rural, urban, and suburban areas. The interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using a priori and emergent codes. Results: The transition to virtual school and work transformed daily activities. Physical education requirements varied, generally perceived as not contributing to overall physical activity. Parents perceived the amount of physical activity as the same or increased but reported an increase in screen time. The physical environment of the home, yard, and neighborhood emerged as a theme as did the social environment for physical activity. Conclusions: COVID-19 stay-athome orders created challenges for children’s physical activity. Results can be used to inform more generalizable studies and serve as a basis for creating better parent resources to support their children’s physical activity outside of ordinary school, sport, and community activity opportunities.

Physical activity (PA) pre-COVID-19 was lower in rural areas compared to non-rural areas. The purpose of this study was to determine COVID-19’s impact on PA in rural and non-rural residents. A cross-sectional study consisting of a convenience sample of 278 participants (50% rural, 50% non-rural) from 25 states completed an online survey describing their PA behaviors and perceptions during COVID-19. The global physical activity questionnaire was used to determine PA in various domains and summed to determine if the participant met the PA guidelines. Rural participants had a significantly higher body mass index, lower income, and a lower educational attainment. Conversely, non-rural participants reported more barriers to PA. There was no difference in the perception of COVID-19’s impact on PA, specifically, however, rural participants were significantly less likely to meet cardiorespiratory PA recommendations compared to non-rural participants. Conclusions: This study demonstrates the continued disparity in PA between rural and non-rural residents, despite the supposition of COVID-19 being less impactful in rural areas due to sparse populations. Efforts should be pursued to close the PA gap between rural and non-rural residents.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0243302.].

This review discusses the relationship between animal-assisted interventions (AAI) and behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD). A systematic search was conducted within CINAHL, Web of Science CAB Abstracts, PubMed, Abstracts in Social Gerontology, Google Scholar, and PsycINFO for primary research articles. A total of 32 studies were included in the final review. Variation was noted in study designs and in study setting. Twenty-seven of 32 studies used dogs as the intervention. Agitation/aggression showed a significant decrease in nine of 15 studies. Eleven of 12 studies demonstrated increased social interaction with AAI. Mood had mixed results in nine studies. Quality of life was increased in three of four studies. Resident activity and nutritional intake were each increased in two studies. Animal assisted activities/interventions showed a strong positive effect on social behaviors, physical activity, and dietary intake in dementia patients and a positive effect on agitation/aggression and quality of life.

Medication non-adherence occurs in more than half of children with chronic conditions. Unfortunately, most strategies for improving adherence have had limited success in the pediatric population highlighting the need for novel interventions that establish healthy self-management habits for children and adolescents. In this paper we discuss innovative strategies to improve adherence by embedding a medical regimen within a pet care routine, thereby capitalizing on the benefits of a structured habit while providing opportunities for development of autonomy in children and fostering collaborative parent interactions.

OBJECTIVE Cognitive stress during shift work contributes to burnout in emergency department (ED) workers. We hypothesize that if physicians and nurses interact with a therapy dog for 5 minutes while on ED shift, both their perceived and their manifested stress levels will decrease. METHODS In this single-center, prospective, randomized controlled clinical trial (NCT03628820), we tested the effectiveness of therapy dogs versus coloring a mandala and versus no intervention (control) on provider stress. Consenting emergency medicine physicians and nurses provided three self-reported assessments of stress and saliva samples at the start (T1), at the middle (T2), and near the end (T3) of shift. Thirty minutes prior to T2, participants were randomized to either interacting with a therapy dog or coloring for 5 minutes; controls had neither. Stress was assessed on visual analog scale (VAS, 0-100 mm) and with salivary cortisol (Salimetrics) and the modified Perceived Stress Scale (mPSS-10). To assess potential change in participant behavior, patients of providers in either group were asked to complete an internally derived survey of empathic behaviors displayed by providers at T1 and T3. RESULTS We enrolled 122 providers (n = 39 control, n = 40 coloring, n = 43 dog); 48% were residents, and 60% enrolled on an evening shift. At T1, mean (±SD) VAS score was not different between groups (18.2 [±17.8] mm). At T3, VAS tended to increase with coloring (24.5 mm), remain unchanged in controls (20 mm), and decreased slightly with dogs (13.6 mm, p = 0.018 vs. coloring, Tukey's post hoc). Salivary cortisol levels were consistently highest at the beginning of each providers' shift and were significantly decreased versus control in both the dog and the coloring groups (p

As the worldwide popularity of animal-assisted interventions (AAIs) increases, the field is quickly approaching a paradigm shift, adjusting its image to incorporate more evidence-based research and aligning its purpose for advancing a new future. Contemporary critical issues that confront the field today include, but are not limited, to research, animal welfare, practice guidelines, and public policy. This article will provide an overview of the history of AAI and the major milestones that the field has undergone. The current state of AAI research will be scrutinized, and the areas that warrant further study will be recommended. Special attention will be given to the current state of animal welfare in AAI, the research that has been done in the area, and practice guidelines that safeguard animal wellbeing. This article will then discuss how evidence-based research and animal welfare guidelines inform the development of comprehensive professional standards and influence changes in public policy regarding AAI. The authors’ perceptions for the field’s future trajectory will be presented, which will include solutions to move the field in the direction that best advances the human-animal bond in research, practice, and public perception.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the preparedness of small animal veterinary personnel to communicate with Spanish-speaking pet owners with limited English-language proficiency (LEP). DESIGN Cross-sectional telephone survey. SAMPLE Data from 383 small animal veterinary practices. PROCEDURES Telephone surveys were conducted with veterinarians and office or practice managers from a random sample of US small animal veterinary practices in 10 states to estimate the number of Spanish-speaking pet owners with LEP visiting these practices, proportion of practices that used services to facilitate communication with Spanish-speaking clients with LEP, and degree of veterinarian satisfaction with their communication with those clients. RESULTS Responses were obtained from 383 of 1,245 (31%) eligible practices, of which 340 (89%) had Spanish-speaking clients with LEP and 200 (52%) had such clients on a weekly basis. Eight percent of practices had veterinary personnel who were conversant or fluent in spoken Spanish. Veterinarians who depended on clients' friends or family to translate were significantly less satisfied with client communication than were those who could converse in Spanish with clients directly. Availability of Spanish-speaking staff and offering of Spanish-language resources were associated with an increase in the number of Spanish-speaking clients with LEP seen on a weekly basis. Industry- and practice-generated Spanish-language materials were offered at 32% (124/383) and 21% (81/383) of practices, respectively; 329 (86%) practices had no Spanish-language marketing. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Opportunities were identified for improving communication with pet owners with LEP in the veterinary clinical setting, which could ultimately positively impact patient well-being and client compliance.

Beyond the functional tasks that assistance dogs are trained for, there is growing literature describing their benefits on the psychosocial health and wellbeing of their handlers. However, this research is not only widely disparate but, despite its growth, has not been reviewed since 2012. Our objective was to identify, summarize, and methodologically evaluate studies quantifying the psychosocial effects of assistance dogs for individuals with physical disabilities. Following PRISMA guidelines, a systematic review was conducted across seven electronic databases. Records were independently screened by two authors. Studies were eligible for inclusion if they assessed outcomes from guide, hearing, medical, or mobility service dogs, if they collected original data on handlers’ psychosocial functioning, and if the outcome was measured quantitatively with a validated, standardized measure. Studies on psychiatric service dogs, emotional support dogs, and pet dogs were excluded. Of 1,830 records screened, 24 articles were identified (12 publications, 12 theses) containing 27 studies (15 cross-sectional, 12 longitudinal). Studies assessed the effects of mobility (18), hearing (7), guide (4), and medical (2) assistance dog partnerships with an average sample size of N = 83. An analysis of 147 statistical comparisons across the domains of psychological health, quality of life, social health, and vitality found that 68% of comparisons were null, 30% were positive in the hypothesized direction, and 2% were negative. Positive outcomes included significant effects of having an assistance dog on psychological wellbeing, emotional functioning, self-esteem, and vitality. However, it is of note that several methodological weaknesses of the studies make it difficult to draw any definitive conclusions, including inadequate reporting and a failure to account for moderating or confounding variables. Future research will benefit from stronger methodological rigor and reporting to account for heterogeneity in both humans and assistance dogs as well as continued high-quality replication.

Publisher Summary This chapter provides with a basic foundation to appreciate and understand this unique kinship with all living creatures but also to discover the roots to the overwhelming growing interest in animal-assisted intervention (AAI) and also helps solidify and clarify how the benefits witnessed within this unique bond have prompted numerous professionals to become more curious about the advantages of animal-assisted interventions. Numerous interventions have developed employing a strong belief that relationships with animals contribute to the well-being of people. Their clinical interests stem from their personal convictions and attractions to animals, while others are driven because of their perceived perception that animals may provide a useful alternative for clinical application. The interest in the human/animal connection is heightened in the past few decades as a direct result of mainstream media's and the popular press's coverage of the impact of animals on humans' lives. The essence of case study provided in this chapter portrays how important animals can become in the lives of many, including those with terminal illnesses. A rationale is presented describing the potential benefits to the human/animal connection. It also provides an explanation that could help to understand why some clients are enamored with their pets.