Positive aging benefits of home and community gardening activities: Older adults report enhanced self-esteem, productive endeavours, social engagement and exercise

The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between home gardening and sufficient fruit and vegetable (FV) intake among non-farmers in Thailand, and examine the influence of socio-demographic characteristics and other associated factors on home gardening among non-farmers in urban areas. Data were collected by a cross-sectional survey of a sample of Thai non-farmers (N = 5634). Information on self-reported home gardening, FV intake, health-related behaviors, and socio-demographic characteristics was collected via questionnaire. The findings show that home gardening is significantly associated with sufficient FV intake among non-farmers (p < 0.001). Within the non-farmer group who lived in urban areas, 9% gardened FV at home. Home gardening was significantly associated with socio-demographic characteristics (sex, age and occupation), physical activity, fear of pesticide contamination of FV, and FV safety awareness among the urban non-farmers. Respondents who were female, in the middle-adulthood group, practiced regular physical activity, feared pesticide contamination, and had high awareness of FV safety had the highest probability of gardening at home (p < 0.05, p < 0.001, p < 0.01, p < 0.001 and p < 0.05, respectively). The Thai government should pay more attention to factors that influence urban home gardening by providing support, building local capacity, and implementing effective interventions with the urban population.

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“…The rest were classified as 'no' (physically less active). This variable has been used in previous studies [6,21].…”

Section: Socio-demographic and Health-related Variablesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterizing Urban Home Gardening and Associated Factors to Shape Fruit and Vegetable Consumption among Non-Farmers in Thailand

Phulkerd

Thapsuwan

Gray

et al. 2020

IJERPH

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“…Walking or running in nature can result in less sadness [43], tension, confusion and anger [45], while cognitive capacity [47] as well as energy, such as vitality and enthusiasm, can increase [43,45]. Community gardening among the elderly [48] and children [49] can lead to physical and social benefits [50]. People visiting green spaces and having a stronger relatedness to nature more frequently experience better social cohesion [28], and activities in green spaces stimulate personal development, e.g., increased body appreciation [33].…”

Section: Nature Relatedness and Its Association With Wellbeing And Pementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Community gardening in the elderly [48] and children [49] can lead to physical and social benefits, but no differences in health and wellbeing can be found for the elderly compared to younger gardeners [50].…”

Section: Nature Relatedness and Its Impact On Wellbeingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Thus, studies in other countries or different age groups are warranted. However, studies indicate no differences in health and wellbeing in the elderly [48], younger people [50] and children [49] due to leisure time working in nature. Moreover, activity levels are positively influenced by dog walking in children [14,15], in adults [16,17] and also in the elderly [18][19][20].…”

Section: Limitations Of the Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Nature Relatedness of Recreational Horseback Riders and Its Association with Mood and Wellbeing

Schwarzmüller-Erber

Stummer

Maier

et al. 2020

IJERPH

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Connectedness to nature and nature contact can provide many benefits to humans, like stress reduction, recovery from illness, and increased positive emotions. Likewise, recreational horseback riding is a widespread sports activity with the potential to enhance physical and psychological health. Yet, the influence of connectedness to nature on the wellbeing of older aged recreational horseback riders has not been investigated so far. The aim of the present study therefore was to explore the relationship between nature relatedness and physical, psychological and social wellbeing and happiness. The study sample was composed of Austrian recreational horseback riders aged 45 years and older, who were compared with dog owners and people without pets (n = 178). We found significantly higher nature relatedness, significantly higher overall wellbeing and a significantly better mood rating in recreational horseback riders compared to people without pets and similar scores compared to dog owners. Physical wellbeing is correlated with overall nature relatedness in horseback riders and dog owners, but no correlation was found in people without pets. A structural equation model shows a direct relationship between nature relatedness and mood in horseback riders and an indirect relationship through pet attachment in dog owners. The results suggest the activity with horses and dogs in nature environments is a source of wellbeing, enjoyment, self-confidence and social contacts.

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“…22 Gardening and horticultural therapy have been shown to have positive psychological, social and physical benefits, and benefits are compounded when undertaken in groups. 30 Interestingly, in the study by MacAndrew et al, staff found that the walking programme enriched the lives of the participants, who were selected due to their wandering, and even created positive change in the walking and wandering habits of some participants. 19 While dementia is a cluster of incurable conditions, social participation and engaging in activities away from the RACF has the potential to prolong quality of life and potentially reduce behavioural symptoms in the care setting.…”

Section: Psychological Outcomesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Activities outside of the care setting for people with dementia: a systematic review

et al. 2020

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ObjectivesTo summarise the evidence from interventions investigating the effects of out of care setting activities on people with dementia living in residential aged care.DesignA systematic review.MethodsA systematic search of electronic databases (PubMed, PsycINFO, Scopus, Web of Science and the Cochrane Library) was performed to identify intervention trials published from journal inception to January 2020. Controlled trials, or quasi-experimental trials, which measured pre-intervention, post-intervention or during-intervention outcomes, where the participants were required to leave the care setting to participate in an intervention, were eligible for inclusion. Quality appraisal of the studies was performed following the Cochrane Collaboration’s Risk of Bias or Newcastle-Ottawa Scale tools.ResultsOf the 4155 articles screened, 11 articles met the inclusion criteria from 9 different studies. The number of participants in the studies ranged from 6 to 70 people living with dementia and lasted for 3 weeks up to 5 months. The interventions were aquatic exercise, wheelchair cycling, art gallery discussion groups, an intergenerational mentorship programme, horse riding, walking and outdoor gardening. Overall, the studies indicated preliminary evidence of psychological (n=7), physical (n=4) and physiological (n=1) benefits, and all interventions were feasible to conduct away from the aged care facilities. However, the low number of participants in the included studies (n=177), the absence of a control group in all but three studies, and potential for selection bias, limits the generalisability of the findings.ConclusionsActivities outside of the residential aged care setting have the potential to be effective at providing a range of benefits for people living with dementia. Higher quality studies are required to encourage care providers to implement these type of activities in dementia care settings.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42020166518.

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Positive aging benefits of home and community gardening activities: Older adults report enhanced self-esteem, productive endeavours, social engagement and exercise

Cited by 65 publications

References 36 publications

Characterizing Urban Home Gardening and Associated Factors to Shape Fruit and Vegetable Consumption among Non-Farmers in Thailand

Characterizing Urban Home Gardening and Associated Factors to Shape Fruit and Vegetable Consumption among Non-Farmers in Thailand

Nature Relatedness of Recreational Horseback Riders and Its Association with Mood and Wellbeing

Activities outside of the care setting for people with dementia: a systematic review

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