An analysis of data from 145 people who gardened and 146 who did not revealed that the gardeners increased their intake of fiber, spent more time engaged in moderate or vigorous physical activity and experienced reductions in stress and anxiety, according to the. It's the first randomized, controlled trial of community gardening.
Litt and her team suspected that one way to help people live healthier lives could be to get them engaged in an enjoyable activity that lends to better food choices and more exercise. Community gardens seemed like an ideal strategy as planting and maintaining the crops would provide physical exercise and the resulting fresh produce would improve diet.
Participants’ health was assessed at three points during the study via surveys that included questions about stress and anxiety, as well as height, weight and waist circumference. They were all also asked to wear a thigh-mounted accelerometer for a week after each assessment so the researchers could keep track of how much the participants were moving.
While the increase in physical activity may seem small, it adds up, Litt says, coming out to about 40 minutes a week. And while that doesn’t by itself hit the recommended 150 minutes a week, it got participants almost one-third of the way there.
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Source: NatureMedicine - 🏆 451. / 53 Read more »