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Harvesting more than vegetables: The potential weight control benefits of community gardening

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  • Zick, C.D.
  • Smith, K.R.
  • Kowaleski-Jones, L.
  • Uno, C.
  • Merrill, B.J.

Abstract

Objectives. We examined the association of participation in community gardening with healthy body weight. Methods. We examined body mass index (BMI) data from 198 community gardening participants in Salt Lake City, Utah, in relationship to BMI data for 3 comparison groups: neighbors, siblings, and spouses. In comparisons, we adjusted for gender, age, and the year of the BMI measurement. Results. Both women and men community gardeners had significantly lower BMIs than did their neighbors who were not in the community gardening program. The estimated BMI reductions in the multivariate analyses were -1.84 for women and -2.36 for men. We also observed significantly lower BMIs for women community gardeners compared with their sisters (-1.88) and men community gardeners compared with their brothers (-1.33). Community gardeners also had lower odds of being overweight or obese than did their otherwise similar neighbors. Conclusions. The health benefits of community gardening may go beyond enhancing the gardeners' intake of fruits and vegetables. Community gardens may be a valuable element of land use diversity that merits consideration by public health officials who want to identify neighborhood features that promote health.

Suggested Citation

  • Zick, C.D. & Smith, K.R. & Kowaleski-Jones, L. & Uno, C. & Merrill, B.J., 2013. "Harvesting more than vegetables: The potential weight control benefits of community gardening," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 103(6), pages 1110-1115.
    • Handle: RePEc:aph:ajpbhl:10.2105/ajph.2012.301009_2
    DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2012.301009
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    Cited by:

    1. Victoria Schoen & Silvio Caputo & Chris Blythe, 2020. "Valuing Physical and Social Output: A Rapid Assessment of a London Community Garden," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(13), pages 1-20, July.
    2. Marek Hekrle & Jan Macháč & Lenka Dubová, 2023. "Evaluating Importance of Community Gardens in Times of Calm and Crisis: From Relaxation to Food Self-Provisioning," Resources, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-15, October.
    3. Daisuke Machida & Osamu Kushida, 2020. "The Influence of Food Production Experience on Dietary Knowledge, Awareness, Behaviors, and Health among Japanese: A Systematic Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(3), pages 1-17, February.
    4. Kazemi, Fatemeh & Hosseinpour, Nazanin, 2022. "GIS-based land-use suitability analysis for urban agriculture development based on pollution distributions," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 123(C).
    5. Sukanya Sereenonchai & Noppol Arunrat, 2022. "Urban Agriculture in Thailand: Adoption Factors and Communication Guidelines to Promote Long-Term Practice," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(1), pages 1-22, December.
    6. Tobias Ihle & Ellen Jahr & Dörte Martens & Holger Muehlan & Silke Schmidt, 2024. "Health Effects of Participation in Creating Urban Green Spaces—A Systematic Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(12), pages 1-26, June.
    7. Georgia Pollard & James Ward & Philip Roetman, 2018. "Typically Diverse: The Nature of Urban Agriculture in South Australia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-18, March.
    8. Hua Zheng & Min Guo & Qian Wang & Qinghai Zhang & Noriko Akita, 2023. "A Bibliometric Analysis of Current Knowledge Structure and Research Progress Related to Urban Community Garden Systems," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-34, January.
    9. Luyang Chen & Lingbo Liu & Hao Wu & Zhenghong Peng & Zhihao Sun, 2022. "Change of Residents’ Attitudes and Behaviors toward Urban Green Space Pre- and Post- COVID-19 Pandemic," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(7), pages 1-16, July.
    10. Andreas Wesener & Runrid Fox-Kämper & Martin Sondermann & Daniel Münderlein, 2020. "Placemaking in Action: Factors That Support or Obstruct the Development of Urban Community Gardens," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-29, January.
    11. Abigail Korn & Susan M. Bolton & Benjamin Spencer & Jorge A. Alarcon & Leann Andrews & Joachim G. Voss, 2018. "Physical and Mental Health Impacts of Household Gardens in an Urban Slum in Lima, Peru," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-11, August.
    12. Eckermann, Simon & Dawber, James & Yeatman, Heather & Quinsey, Karen & Morris, Darcy, 2014. "Evaluating return on investment in a school based health promotion and prevention program: The investment multiplier for the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden National Program," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 103-112.
    13. Kentaro Harada & Kimihiro Hino & Akiko Iida & Takahiro Yamazaki & Hiroyuki Usui & Yasushi Asami & Makoto Yokohari, 2021. "How Does Urban Farming Benefit Participants’ Health? A Case Study of Allotments and Experience Farms in Tokyo," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(2), pages 1-13, January.
    14. Dahlia Stott & DeAndra Forde & Chetan Sharma & Jonathan M. Deutsch & Michael Bruneau & Jennifer A. Nasser & Mara Z. Vitolins & Brandy-Joe Milliron, 2024. "Interactions with Nature, Good for the Mind and Body: A Narrative Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 21(3), pages 1-26, March.
    15. Giordano Ruggeri & Chiara Mazzocchi & Stefano Corsi, 2016. "Urban Gardeners’ Motivations in a Metropolitan City: The Case of Milan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(11), pages 1-19, October.

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