142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

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Lessons learned: Applying the Plan-Do-Study-Act Model to address obesity and overcome the barriers to dog walking

142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15 - November 19, 2014): http://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual
Tuesday, November 18, 2014 : 2:50 PM - 3:10 PM

Karen Ehnert, DVM, MPVM, DACVPM , Veterinary Public Health Program, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Los Angeles, CA
Tamerin Scott, DVM, MPH , Veterinary Public Health & Rabies Control, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Los Angeles, CA
Mirna Ponce, MPH, MA , Department of Public Health, Los Angeles County, Los Angeles, CA
Gael Lamielle, DVM, MPH , Veterinary Public Health, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Los Angeles, CA
Mayra Morales , Veterinary Public Health, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Los Angeles, CA
Robert Kim-Farley, MD, MPH , Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Los Angeles, CA
Audio (mp3) recording Recorded Presentation (mp4)
Obesity is a growing problem in both people and pets. It may be possible to help counter this trend by using pet ownership to promote dog walking. However, there may be barriers that residents must overcome before exercising with their pets. Identifying and addressing these barriers is a key to promoting healthy communities in Los Angeles County (LAC).

In 2010, the Veterinary Public Health (VPH) program at LAC Department of Public Health (DPH) created the 2020 Healthy Pets Healthy Families Initiative (HPHF) to address health issues of people and their pets, including obesity. Through the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) model, VPH implemented a series of surveys to identify barriers and motivators to walking. First, to better understand the scope of the problem, a survey was administered to dog owners. Only 11% of respondents reported that they think their dog is overweight, while 49% said that they could not feel the ribs of their dog (an indicator of pet obesity). In addition, over 50% of respondents reported that they do not walk their dog at least once a day.

VPH then assessed contextual factors such as local parks and the built environment.  Initial results show that 79% of respondents reported walking in their neighborhoods. Individuals identified various barriers and motivators.  VPH will consider these as we move from study to action. One action is to create dog-friendly and educational walking groups where residents come together as a community and learn about improving health for their families and pets.

Learning Areas:

Assessment of individual and community needs for health education
Chronic disease management and prevention
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Program planning
Public health or related research

Learning Objectives:
Describe how a “One Health” strategy may be leveraged to reduce obesity in people and their pets. List five potential barriers or motivators for people walking in their neighborhoods. Explain how to apply the constructs of the PDSA Model to create and implement public health interventions. Illustrate the effect of multi-disciplinary partnerships on obesity prevention by using the example of the 2020 Healthy Pets Healthy Families Initiative. Demonstrate the use of data to create a targeted public health intervention at a local level.

Keyword(s): Obesity, Built Environment

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I supervise the Vet PH Program and have been working with Vet PH staff on this issue of the joint problem of pet and human obesity.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

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