scholarly journals Evidence on the contribution of community gardens to promote physical and mental health and well-being of non-institutionalized individuals: A systematic review

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (8) ◽  
pp. e0255621
Author(s):  
Tarsila Lampert ◽  
Joana Costa ◽  
Osvaldo Santos ◽  
Joana Sousa ◽  
Teresa Ribeiro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Community Gardens ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Community Gardening ◽  
Quantitative Studies ◽  
Health Gains ◽  
Health And Well Being

Introduction There has been growing interest in community gardens as an effective and affordable health promotion strategy. However, most available evidence is derived from qualitative studies, whereas quantitative research on this subject is limited. Objectives To synthetize the literature about physical and mental health outcomes associated with community gardening. Two main questions were addressed: a) is there evidence, from quantitative studies, that community gardening is associated to physical and mental health and well-being of non-institutionalized individuals? b) Does community gardening provokes any discomfort in terms of physical health, i.e., bodily pain, to their beneficiaries? Methods A systematic review of the literature was carried out following PRISMA guidelines by searching relevant electronic databases (PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science). Empirical, quantitative studies published in English with no restrictions concerning the date of publication were considered eligible. The quality of the evidence was appraised using the tool developed by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health for Observational Cohort and Cross-Sectional Studies. Results Overall, 8 studies were considered eligible, of which seven studies were rated as having good methodological quality (one scored as fair). Community gardeners had significantly better health outcomes than their neighbours not engaged in gardening activities in terms of life satisfaction, happiness, general health, mental health, and social cohesion. Conclusion Community gardens are associated to health gains for their users, irrespective of age, being an affordable and efficient way of promoting physical and mental health and well-being. To encourage the design, maintenance, and prospective evaluation of supportive urban environments promoting healthy and, at the same time, sustainable lifestyles, is essential to achieve public health gains and environmental sustainability.

scholarly journals Connecting healthcare with income maximisation services, and their financial, health and well-being impacts for families with young children: a systematic review protocol

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. e056297
Author(s):  
Jade Burley ◽  
Anna MH Price ◽  
Anneka Parker ◽  
Nora Samir ◽  
Anna Zhu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Healthcare Service ◽  
Grey Literature ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Financial Hardship ◽  
Cochrane Library ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Health And Well Being

IntroductionPoverty has far-reaching and detrimental effects on children’s physical and mental health, across all geographies. Financial advice and income-maximisation services can provide a promising opportunity for shifting the physical and mental health burdens that commonly occur with financial hardship, yet awareness of these services is limited, and referrals are not systematically integrated into existing healthcare service platforms. We aim to map and synthesise evidence on the impact of healthcare-income maximisation models of care for families of children aged 0–5 years in high-income countries on family finances, parent/caregiver(s) or children’s health and well-being.Methods and analysisTo be included in the review, studies must be families (expectant mothers or parents/caregivers) of children who are aged between 0 and 5 years, accessing a healthcare service, include a referral from healthcare to an income-maximisation service (ie, financial counselling), and examine impacts on child and family health and well-being. A comprehensive electronic search strategy will be used to identify studies written in English, published from inception to January 2021, and indexed in MEDLINE, EMBase, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Proquest, Family & Society Studies Worldwide, Cochrane Library, and Informit Online. Search strategies will include terms for: families, financial hardship and healthcare, in various combinations. Bibliographies of primary studies and review articles meeting the inclusion criteria will be searched manually to identify further eligible studies, and grey literature will also be searched. Data on objective and self-reported outcomes and study quality will be independently extracted by two review authors; any disagreements will be resolved through a third reviewer. The protocol follows the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols.Ethics and disseminationEthical approval is not required. The results will be disseminated widely via peer-reviewed publication and presentations at conferences related to this field.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42020195985.

scholarly journals Participation in community gardening: Sowing the seeds of well-being

2021 ◽  
pp. 000841742199438
Author(s):  
Melinda J. Suto ◽  
Shelagh Smith ◽  
Natasha Damiano ◽  
Shurli Channe
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Connectedness ◽  
Community Gardens ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Supported Housing ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Community Gardening ◽  
Mental Health Issues

Background. Sustaining well-being challenges people with serious mental health issues. Community gardening is an occupation used to promote clients’ well-being, yet there is limited evidence to support this intervention. Purpose. This paper examines how facilitated community gardening programs changed the subjective well-being and social connectedness of people living with mental health issues. Method. A community-based participatory research approach and qualitative methods were used with 23 adults living in supported housing and participating in supported community gardening programs. A constructivist approach guided inductive data analysis. Findings. Participation in community gardening programs enhanced well-being through welcoming places, a sense of belonging, and developing positive feelings through doing. The connection to living things and responsibility for plants grounded participants in the present and offered a unique venue for learning about gardening and themselves. Implications. Practitioners and service-users should collaborate to develop leadership, programs, places, and processes within community gardens to enhance well-being.

scholarly journals Updated systematic review and meta-analysis of studies examining the relationship between reported racism and health and well-being for children and youth: a protocol

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. e043722
Author(s):  
Naomi Priest ◽  
Kate Doery ◽  
Mandy Truong ◽  
Shuaijun Guo ◽  
Ryan Perry ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Research Policy ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Children And Youth ◽  
Effect Sizes ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Critical Determinant ◽  
Health And Well Being

IntroductionRacism is a critical determinant of health and health inequities for children and youth. This protocol aims to update the first systematic review conducted by Priest et al (2013), including a meta-analysis of findings. Based on previous empirical data, it is anticipated that child and youth health will be negatively impacted by racism. Findings from this review will provide updated evidence of effect sizes across outcomes and identify moderators and mediators of relationships between racism and health.Methods and analysisThis systematic review and meta-analysis will include studies that examine associations between experiences of racism and racial discrimination with health outcomes of children and youth aged 0–24 years. Exposure measures include self-reported or proxy reported systemic, interpersonal and intrapersonal racism. Outcome measures include general health and well-being, physical health, mental health, biological markers, healthcare utilisation and health behaviours. A comprehensive search of studies from the earliest time available to October 2020 will be conducted. A random effects meta-analysis will examine the average effect of racism on a range of health outcomes. Study-level moderation will test the difference in effect sizes with regard to various sample and exposure characteristics. This review has been registered with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews.Ethics and disseminationThis review will provide evidence for future research within the field and help to support policy and practice development. Results will be widely disseminated to both academic and non-academic audiences through peer-review publications, community summaries and presentations to research, policy, practice and community audiences.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42020184055.

scholarly journals Outdoor blue spaces, human health and well-being: A systematic review of quantitative studies

2017 ◽  
Vol 220 (8) ◽  
pp. 1207-1221 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mireia Gascon ◽  
Wilma Zijlema ◽  
Cristina Vert ◽  
Mathew P. White ◽  
Mark J. Nieuwenhuijsen
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Quantitative Studies ◽  
Health And Well Being

The glass is not half empty: optimism, pessimism, and health among older adults

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 135-139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael D. Barnett ◽  
Ellen A. Anderson
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Physical Health ◽  
Short Form ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Life Orientation Test ◽  
Health And Well Being

ABSTRACTObjectives:Optimism and pessimism are distinct constructs that have demonstrated independent relationships with aspects of health and well-being. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether optimism or pessimism is more closely linked with physical and mental health among older adults.Design:Cross-sectional survey.Participants:Community-dwelling older adults (N = 272) ages 59–95 in the southern United States.Measurements:The Life Orientation Test—Revised and the Short Form 8.Results:At the bivariate level, optimism was associated with higher physical health and mental health, while pessimism was associated with lower physical health and mental health. Multiple-regression analyses as well as comparison of correlation coefficients found that pessimism was more closely associated with physical health and mental health than optimism.Conclusions:These results add to the literature suggesting that, in terms of older adults’ health and well-being, avoiding pessimism may be more important than being optimistic.

scholarly journals Child and Family Outcomes Following Pandemics: A Systematic Review and Recommendations on COVID-19 Policies

2020 ◽  
Vol 45 (10) ◽  
pp. 1124-1143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vanessa C. Fong ◽  
Grace Iarocci
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Financial Burden ◽  
High Stress ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Mental Health Outcomes ◽  
Children And Families ◽  
Family Outcomes

Abstract Objective A systematic review of mental health outcomes and needs of children and families during past pandemics was conducted based on the PRISMA protocol. The objectives were to evaluate the quality of existing studies on this topic, determine what is known about mental health outcomes and needs of children and families, and provide recommendations for how COVID-19 policies can best support children and families. Methods Seventeen studies were identified through a search of PsycINFO, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. Results Studies examining child outcomes indicate that social isolation and quarantining practices exert a substantial negative impact on child anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and fear symptoms. Potential risk factors such as living in rural areas, being female, and increasing grade level may exacerbate negative mental health outcomes for children. Studies examining parental and family outcomes indicate that parents experience high stress, anxiety, and financial burden during pandemics. The age of the parent and family socioeconomic status (SES) appeared to mitigate negative outcomes, where older parents and higher SES families had lower rates of mental health problems. Parents’ fear over the physical and mental health of their children, concerns over potential job loss and arranging childcare contributes to elevated stress and poorer well-being. Conclusions Findings from this review suggest current gaps in COVID-19 policies and provide recommendations such implementing “family-friendly” policies that are inclusive and have flexible eligibility criteria. Examples include universal paid sick leave for parents and financial supports for parents who are also frontline workers and are at an elevated risk for contracting the disease.

scholarly journals Compositional, Contextual, and Collective Community Factors in Mental Health and Well-Being in Australian Rural Communities

2016 ◽  
Vol 27 (5) ◽  
pp. 677-687 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Collins ◽  
Bernadette M. Ward ◽  
Pamela Snow ◽  
Sandra Kippen ◽  
Fiona Judd
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Underlying Mechanism ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Geographic Variations ◽  
Community Factors ◽  
Health And Well Being

There are disproportionately higher and inconsistently distributed rates of recorded suicides in rural areas. Patterns of rural suicide are well documented, but they remain poorly understood. Geographic variations in physical and mental health can be understood through the combination of compositional, contextual, and collective factors pertaining to particular places. The aim of this study was to explore the role of “place” contributing to suicide rates in rural communities. Seventeen mental health professionals participated in semi-structured in-depth interviews. Principles of grounded theory were used to guide the analysis. Compositional themes were demographics and perceived mental health issues; contextual themes were physical environment, employment, housing, and mental health services; and collective themes were town identity, community values, social cohesion, perceptions of safety, and attitudes to mental illness. It is proposed that connectedness may be the underlying mechanism by which compositional, contextual, and collective factors influence mental health and well-being in rural communities.

scholarly journals Health and well being of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people aged 50 years and over

2018 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 146 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Hughes
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
General Population ◽  
Short Form ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Sexual Diversity ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Health And Well Being

Objectives The aim of the present study was to examine the health and well being of older lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people, the health issues that concern them, the services they use and challenges accessing services. Methods This study comprised a survey of the health and well being of 312 LGBTI people aged 50 years and over in New South Wales. The survey included the Short-Form 12 (SF-12) measure of health-related quality of life, the Kessler 10 (K10) measure of psychological distress, and the three-item Loneliness Scale. Results Higher levels of psychological distress, lower mental health and greater loneliness were found among this sample than is typically found in the general population. Mental health was lower among carers and those not in a relationship, while psychological distress was greater among those living alone and those experiencing higher rates of loneliness. The most commonly accessed health service was a general practitioner (GP), with most respondents reporting that they were open about their sexuality to their GP and that they had a regular GP. Some reported difficulties accessing health services because of their gender or sexual diversity. Conclusions Although many older LGBTI people are well, both physically and mentally, they do appear to face increased risk of certain health issues compared with the general population. What is known about the topic? Overseas research indicates that older LGBTI people may be at greater risk of certain physical and mental health conditions than the general population. What does this paper add? This paper provides Australian data, using well-validated instruments, on the health and well being of older LGBTI people. It provides evidence of the health issues that older LGBTI people are most concerned about and the barriers they face in accessing services. What are the implications for practitioners? It is important for health practitioners to be aware that older LGBTI people appear to be at increased risk of certain physical and mental health issues, such as loneliness and psychological distress. Providing opportunities for clients to identify their gender or sexual diversity may assist in monitoring risk factors and enable referral to promote healthy aging.

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