Adkins Janna R, Mulé Christina M, Linder Deborah E, Must Aviva, Cash Sean B, Folta Sara C
Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University, Boston, MA, United States.
Division of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry, Rochester, NY, United States.
Front Pediatr. 2023 Jul 14;11:1153124. doi: 10.3389/fped.2023.1153124. eCollection 2023.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often presents a unique set of risk factors that impact healthy eating and physical activity. Animal-assisted interventions (AAI) are a promising approach for autistic children. There is growing evidence for the positive impact of AAIs on self-regulation, which is necessary for initiating and maintaining behavioral changes. Pet dogs offer several potential advantages as a vehicle for an AAI focused on health behaviors. However, little is known about the experiences of autistic children and their families with respect to dog ownership and the mechanisms through which such an AAI might operate.
We conducted interviews with ten parent-child dyads to explore the role of pet dogs in the lives and lifestyle habits of families with an autistic child. Interview guides were designed to explore the relationship between the autistic child and the pet dog and the role of the dog in family life; attitudes and practices related to physical activity and nutrition; and thoughts about intervention strategies. We used a directed qualitative content analysis approach for analysis.
Themes indicate a strong bond between the child and the dog, the child's enjoyment in caring for their dog, and successful integration of dogs within family routines. In contrast, minor themes emerged around the challenges that owning a pet dog posed for families with an autistic child. In terms of nutrition and physical activity, a major theme among children was that healthy eating and exercise were important for both them and their dogs. However, minor themes suggest challenges with healthy eating and exercise and room for improvement for these behaviors. Parents held favorable views toward an intervention that would incorporate the family dog to teach children about nutrition and physical activity, although they expressed some concerns about feasibility.
This exploratory work suggests that AAIs to improve nutrition and physical activity could build on the strong bond that children have with their pet dogs, but should consider the specific needs of each family, including the needs of the pet dog.
自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）通常呈现出一系列独特的风险因素，这些因素会影响健康饮食和体育活动。动物辅助干预（AAI）对自闭症儿童来说是一种很有前景的方法。越来越多的证据表明，AAI对自我调节有积极影响，而自我调节是启动和维持行为改变所必需的。宠物狗作为一种专注于健康行为的AAI载体具有几个潜在优势。然而，关于自闭症儿童及其家庭拥有宠物狗的经历以及这种AAI可能发挥作用的机制，我们所知甚少。
我们对十对亲子进行了访谈，以探讨宠物狗在自闭症儿童家庭生活和生活方式习惯中的作用。访谈指南旨在探究自闭症儿童与宠物狗之间的关系以及狗在家庭生活中的角色；与体育活动和营养相关的态度和做法；以及对干预策略的想法。我们采用定向定性内容分析方法进行分析。
主题表明儿童与狗之间有紧密的联系，儿童在照顾自己的狗时感到愉快，并且狗成功融入了家庭日常。相比之下，围绕拥有宠物狗给自闭症儿童家庭带来的挑战出现了一些次要主题。在营养和体育活动方面，儿童中的一个主要主题是健康饮食和锻炼对他们自己和他们的狗都很重要。然而，次要主题表明在健康饮食和锻炼方面存在挑战，并且这些行为仍有改进空间。家长对一项将家庭宠物狗纳入其中以教导孩子营养和体育活动的干预措施持赞成态度，尽管他们对可行性表示了一些担忧。
这项探索性工作表明，旨在改善营养和体育活动的AAI可以建立在儿童与他们的宠物狗之间的紧密联系之上，但应该考虑每个家庭的具体需求，包括宠物狗的需求。
