Process Evaluation of a Community Garden at an Urban Outpatient Clinic

Abstract

In addition to expediting patient recovery, community gardens that are associated with medical facilities can provide fresh produce to patients and their families, serve as a platform for clinic-based nutrition education, and help patients develop new skills and insights that can lead to positive health behavior change. While community gardening is undergoing resurgence, there is a strong need for evaluation studies that employ valid and reliable measures. The objective of this study was to conduct a process evaluation of a community garden program at an urban medical clinic to estimate the prevalence of patient awareness and participation, food security, barriers to participation, and personal characteristics; garden volunteer satisfaction; and clinic staff perspectives in using the garden for patient education/treatment. Clinic patients (n=411) completed a community garden participation screener and a random sample completed a longer evaluation survey (n=152); garden volunteers and medical staff completed additional surveys. Among patients, 39% had heard of and 18% had received vegetables from the garden; the greatest barrier for participation was lack of awareness. Volunteers reported learning about gardening, feeling more involved in the neighborhood, and environmental concern; and medical staff endorsed the garden for patient education/treatment. Comprehensive process evaluations can be utilized to quantify benefits of community gardens in medical centers as well as to point out areas for further development, such as increasing patient awareness. As garden programming at medical centers is formalized, future research should include systematic evaluations to determine whether this unique component of the healthcare environment helps improve patient outcomes.

Influence of Air Pollution and Soil Contamination on the Contents of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Vegetables Grown in Urban Gardens of Sao Paulo, Brazil

“…Several studies have shown the multifunctionality of UCGs, which are associated with economic, social, and environmental benefits to society (Guitart et al, 2014;Hartwig and Mason, 2016;Milliron et al, 2016). On the other hand, mounting pressures on environmental resources in urban areas result in soil depletion and/or contamination and high levels of air and water pollutants, raising questions about how safe it is to cultivate food in megacities such as Sao Paulo.…”

The Role of Urban Agriculture as a Nature-Based Solution: A Review for Developing a Systemic Assessment Framework

“…The fact that urban green spaces contribute significantly to mental and physical health as a major benefit from NbS is widely accepted [19,33]. The papers identified in this challenge solely study health implications with community gardens (8 papers, e.g., [124][125][126]) and allotments (2 papers, [127,128]. Through surveys and interviews self-related health status and perceived benefits from gardening were assessed, e.g., [124,127,128].…”

“…The papers identified in this challenge solely study health implications with community gardens (8 papers, e.g., [124][125][126]) and allotments (2 papers, [127,128]. Through surveys and interviews self-related health status and perceived benefits from gardening were assessed, e.g., [124,127,128]. All studies concluded that residents experience health benefits through urban gardening resulting from social interactions in particular [124,[126][127][128][129].…”

Caracterização Do Hábito De Compra Dos Consumidores De Mel No Município De Capitão Poço, Pará

“…A formação de uma horta Comunitária é um processo que além de deslocar elementos do mercado informal para o formal, permite a aprendizagem entre todos os envolvidos (GALLO, 2004;MILLIRON et al, 2017). Há a formação de grupo de trabalho da comunidade, a conscientização do trabalho comunitário, mutirões realizados para O objetivo deste trabalho foi implantar uma horta comunitária em uma unidade escolar no município de Miguel Alves -Piauí, e discutir com o grupo de alunos e professores envolvidos questões como sustentabilidade e cidadania.…”