Shine OnCommunity gardening keeps you slimmer than your neighbour, says study
Excited to see your fruits, veggies, herbs and flowers grow this summer? Have you considered a community garden instead of your own?
While the mental and psychological benefits of gardening have long been known to researchers, a new study now suggests that community gardening in particular can lower your risk of packing on those extra pounds.
The study, published Friday in the American Journal of Public Health, says that people who participate in community gardening have a significantly lower body mass index, as well as lower odds of being overweight or obese, than do their non-gardening neighbours.
"It has been shown previously that community gardens can provide a variety of social and nutritional benefits to neighborhoods," says Cathleen Zick, lead author of the study and professor at the University of Utah. "But until now, we did not have data to show a measurable health benefit for those who use the gardens."
Also see: Easy things you can do to live green
The researchers collected their data from 423 adults residents of Salt Lake City, Utah, who had gardened on at least one community garden plot for a minimum of one year between 1995 - 2010.
The data shows women community gardeners to have an average BMI 1.84 lower than their neighbors, which translates to an 11 pound weight difference for a woman 5 feet 5 inches tall. For men, the BMI was lower by 2.36 for gardeners — a difference of 16 pounds for a man 5 feet 10 inches tall.
Researchers also found statistically significant differences of the participants BMI to those of their siblings. Women participants had a BMI 1.88 lower than their sisters, and men participants has a BMI 1.33 lower than their brothers.
Zick notes that while the results are intriguing, her study is limited because it only accounts for community gardeners from one single community gardening organization, Wasatch Community Gardens.
Also see: Could you give up garbage for a year? This family did
"However, as the percentage of Americans living in urban areas continues to grow, this initial study validates the idea that community gardens are a valuable neighborhood asset that can promote healthier living," Zick says. "That could be of interest to urban planners, public health officials and others focused on designing new neighborhoods and revitalizing old ones."
The researchers also found no difference in BMI or odds of being overweight or obese between the community gardeners and their spouses. That finding was not surprising to them though, as they expected spouses would also eat food produced in the garden and perhaps help out with gardening activities.
Previous studies on gardening suggest that it has considerable influence on a gardener's perception of well-being in that it increases his/her social contacts and feelings of peace and restfulness.
