Community Garden Initiatives Addressing Health and Well-Being Outcomes: A Systematic Review of Infodemiology Aspects, Outcomes, and Target Populations

Previous research has suggested that activities such as community gardens could offer a wide range of health benefits. The aim of the article is to systematically review the available literature to analyse the magnitude of the phenomenon, the geographical distribution, and the main characteristics in terms of health outcomes and target populations. The search addresses the question whether the activity in community gardens improves health and well-being outcomes of individuals. From the total amount of 7226, 84 selected articles showed that:(1) up to 50% are published by U.S. universities or institutions; (2) up to 44% of the studies considered “community gardens” as the main activity of the research focus; (3) one-third of the studies included adults; (4) almost 25% of the studies used “general health” as the main outcome when investigating the benefits of community gardens; (5) the percentage of studies that achieved their outcomes was heterogeneous among the different health dimensions. In conclusion, while a certain degree of heterogeneity in the used definition and outcome still exist, community gardens may be a viable strategy for well-being promotion in terms of psychological, social, and physical health and may be considered as an innovative urban strategy to promote urban public health.

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Impact of community gardening on lifestyles' sustainability: quantitative & qualitative evaluation of a natural experiment

10.21203/rs.3.rs-39237/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Marion Tharrey ◽

Ashby Sachs ◽

Marlène Perignon ◽

Chantal Simon ◽

Caroline Mejean ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Longitudinal Design ◽

Community Gardens ◽

Well Being ◽

Social Health ◽

Lower Percentage ◽

Independent Effect ◽

First Year ◽

Community Garden ◽

Community Gardening ◽

The Impact

Abstract Background: Despite the increasing number of studies on gardening and health, evidence of health benefits of community gardening is limited by cross-sectional design. The “JArDinS” quasi-experimental study aimed to assess the impact of community garden participation on the adoption of more sustainable lifestyles in French adults. Methods: Individuals starting gardening in community gardens in Montpellier (France) in 2018 (N=66) were compared to pairwise matched individuals with no experience in community gardening (N=66). Monthly household food supplies, physical activity measured by accelerometers and questionnaires on physical, mental and social well-being, sensitivity to food waste, and connection with nature were used to explore sustainability of lifestyles in social/health, environmental and economic dimensions. Data were collected at baseline (t0) and 12 months later (t1). Linear mixed models were used to determine the independent effect of community gardening on investigated lifestyles components. In-depth interviews were conducted at t1 with 15 gardeners to better understand changes that may have occurred in gardeners’ lives during the first year of gardening.Results: At t0, gardeners had lower education level, lower BMI and reported lower percentage of meals consumed outside of the home in total household meals compared to non-gardeners (p<0.05). At t1, the mean weight of fruit and vegetables harvested from the garden was 19.5g/d/p. Participating in the community garden had no significant impact on any of the social/health, environmental and economic lifestyle components investigated. Qualitative interviews suggested the existence of pre-established health and environmental consciousness in some gardeners and revealed several barriers to the participation such as lack of time, lack of gardening knowledge, difficulty of gardening, health problems and conflicts with other gardeners. Conclusions: Using a longitudinal design allowing causality assessment, no impact was observed of the first year of community gardening on lifestyle sustainability. The pre-established sensitivity to sustainability and the various barriers encountered by new gardeners might explain the absence of community gardening impact. Further rigorous longitudinal studies are needed to determine whether or not community gardening is a relevant public health tool.Trial registration: The study was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT03694782. Date of registration: 3rd October 2018, retrospectively registered.

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Beyond Coping

10.1093/med:psych/9780198508144.001.0001 ◽

2015 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Keyword(s):

Theoretical Models ◽

Well Being ◽

Stress And Coping ◽

Significant Shift ◽

Contemporary Society ◽

Positive Orientation ◽

Wide Range ◽

And Coping ◽

Health And Well Being ◽

Everyday Living

There are many challenges to be faced in contemporary society including the stresses of everyday living in the technological age and changes in patterns of employment and family life. Depression is being experienced in ‘epidemic’ proportions in many Western communities, and in particular amongst young people. The search for effective ways to reverse this trend has resulted in a significant shift in psychological approach from a focus on helplessness and pathology to a more positive orientation that emphasises health and well-being. This volume brings together leading researchers in the field of stress and coping to consider ways in which coping research contributes to our understanding of how people in different sectors of life meet goals and challenges. It provides a synthesis of different but compatible theoretical models that have been developed in the field of stress and coping and provides a way forward beyond the traditional stress and coping paradigms. The emergent model is able to be used to assess a wide range of issues in the stress and coping domain.

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Cohort profile: the DANish LIFE course (DANLIFE) cohort, a prospective register-based cohort of all children born in Denmark since 1980

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2018-027217 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (9) ◽

pp. e027217 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Jessica Bengtsson ◽

Nadya Dich ◽

Andreas Rieckmann ◽

Naja Hulvej Rod

Keyword(s):

Life Course ◽

Young Adulthood ◽

Parental Education ◽

Well Being ◽

Full Data ◽

Childhood Adversities ◽

Related Factors ◽

Wide Range ◽

Adolescence And Young Adulthood ◽

Health And Well Being

PurposeThe DANish LIFE course (DANLIFE) cohort is a prospective register-based study set up to investigate the complex life course mechanisms linking childhood adversities to health and well-being in childhood, adolescence and young adulthood including cumulative and synergistic actions and potentially sensitive periods in relation to health outcomes.ParticipantsAll children born in Denmark in 1980 or thereafter have successively been included in the cohort totalling more than 2.2 million children. To date, the study population has been followed annually in the nationwide Danish registers for an average of 16.8 years with full data coverage in the entire follow-up period. The information is currently updated until 2015.Findings to dateDANLIFE provides information on a wide range of family-related childhood adversities (eg, parental separation, death of a parent or sibling, economic disadvantage) with important psychosocial implications for health and well-being in childhood, adolescence and young adulthood. Measurement of covariates indicating demographic (eg, age, sex), social (eg, parental education) and health-related factors (eg, birth weight) has also been included from the nationwide registers. In this cohort profile, we provide an overview of the childhood adversities and covariates included in DANLIFE. We also demonstrate that there is a clear social gradient in the exposure to childhood adversities confirming clustering of adverse experiences within individuals.Future plansDANLIFE provides a valuable platform for research into early life adversity and opens unique possibilities for testing new research ideas on how childhood adversities affect health across the life course.

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The relationships between rugby union, and health and well-being: a scoping review

British Journal of Sports Medicine ◽

10.1136/bjsports-2020-102085 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. bjsports-2020-102085 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Steffan A Griffin ◽

Nirmala Kanthi Panagodage Perera ◽

Andrew Murray ◽

Catherine Hartley ◽

Samantha G Fawkner ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Scoping Review ◽

A Priori ◽

Grey Literature ◽

Well Being ◽

Incidence Rates ◽

Rugby Union ◽

Inclusion Criteria ◽

Physical And Mental Health ◽

Wide Range ◽

Health And Well Being

ObjectiveTo scope the relationships between rugby union, and health and well-being.DesignScoping review.Data sourcesPublished and unpublished reports of any age, identified by searching electronic databases, platforms and reference lists.MethodsA three-step search strategy identified relevant published primary, secondary studies and grey literature, which were screened using a priori inclusion criteria. Data were extracted using a standardised tool, to form (1) a numerical analysis and (2) a thematic summary.Results and discussion6658 records were identified, and 198 studies met the inclusion criteria. All forms of rugby union can provide health-enhancing physical activity (PA). ‘Non-contact’ and wheelchair rugby in particular provide a wide range of physical and mental health and well-being benefits. The evidence is either mixed or unclear in relation to ‘contact’ rugby union and its effects on a range of physical health domains. Injury and concussion incidence rates are high for contact rugby union relative to other sports.ConclusionsA wide range of stakeholders as well as existing and potential participants can use this information to make a more informed decision about participating in and promoting rugby union as a health-enhancing activity. Industry and policy-makers can use this review to inform policies and strategies that look to increase participation rates and use rugby union as a vehicle to contribute positively to population health. Further research understanding rugby union’s contribution to PA as well as to muscle-strengthening and balance is indicated, as well as research examining more health and well-being outcomes across more diverse cohorts.

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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 ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0255621 ◽

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.

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Mental health of students living with food insecurity during the transition to university

10.31234/osf.io/5qjzg ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Andrea Howard ◽

Erin Barker

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Food Insecurity ◽

Satisfaction With Life ◽

Well Being ◽

First Year ◽

Transition To University ◽

Wide Range ◽

Health Related ◽

Health And Well Being ◽

Health Deficit

The present study examined differences in mental health and well-being between students with and without suspected food insecurity during their transition to university. We drew on existing data from four samples of traditionally-aged, first-year undergraduates enrolled at large universities in three provinces (Alberta N = 199; Québec N = 299; Ontario N = 461 and N = 510). Students completed online surveys assessing a wide range of health-related behaviours and indicators, including food security. Poorer mental health (depression, anxiety, stress, low satisfaction with life) was consistently associated with food insecurity across samples. The magnitude of mental health deficit was comparable to socioeconomic disadvantage associated with food insecurity. Students with food insecurity are disproportionately launching their university careers with poorer mental health, revealing a critical point of intervention for these socioeconomically higher-risk students.

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Influences on the Uptake of Health and Well-being Apps and Curated App Portals: Think-Aloud and Interview Study

JMIR mhealth and uhealth ◽

10.2196/27173 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (4) ◽

pp. e27173

Author(s):

Dorothy Szinay ◽

Olga Perski ◽

Andy Jones ◽

Tim Chadborn ◽

Jamie Brown ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Data Protection ◽

Social Influences ◽

Theoretical Domains Framework ◽

Well Being ◽

The Internet ◽

Framework Analysis ◽

Health Apps ◽

Perceived Utility ◽

Wide Range ◽

Health And Well Being

Background Health and well-being smartphone apps can provide a cost-effective solution to addressing unhealthy behaviors. The selection of these apps tends to occur in commercial app stores, where thousands of health apps are available. Their uptake is often influenced by popularity indicators. However, these indicators are not necessarily associated with app effectiveness or evidence-based content. Alternative routes to app selection are increasingly available, such as via curated app portals, but little is known about people’s experiences of them. Objective The aim of this study is to explore how people select health apps on the internet and their views on curated app portals. Methods A total of 18 UK-based adults were recruited through social media and asked during an in-person meeting to verbalize their thoughts while searching for a health or well-being app on the internet on a platform of their choice. The search was then repeated on 2 curated health app portals: the National Health Service Apps Library and the Public Health England One You App portal. This was followed by semistructured interviews. Data were analyzed using framework analysis, informed by the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation-Behavior model and the Theoretical Domains Framework. Results Searching for health and well-being apps on the internet was described as a minefield. App uptake appeared to be influenced by participants’ capabilities such as app literacy skills and health and app awareness, and opportunities including the availability of apps, app esthetics, the price of an app, and social influences. Motivation factors that seemed to affect the uptake were perceived competence, time efficiency, perceived utility and accuracy of an app, transparency about data protection, commitment and social identity, and a wide range of emotions. Social influences and the perceived utility of an app were highlighted as particularly important. Participants were not previously aware of curated portals but found the concept appealing. Curated health app portals appeared to engender trust and alleviate data protection concerns. Although apps listed on these were perceived as more trustworthy, their presentation was considered disappointing. This disappointment seemed to stem from the functionality of the portals, lack of user guidance, and lack of tailored content to an individual’s needs. Conclusions The uptake of health and well-being apps appears to be primarily affected by social influences and the perceived utility of an app. App uptake via curated health app portals perceived as credible may mitigate concerns related to data protection and accuracy, but their implementation must better meet user needs and expectations.

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THE IMPACT OF INTERVENTION PROGRAM ON HEALTH BEHAVIOURS AND SOCIOEMOTIONAL SKILLS AMONG PORTUGUESE COLLEGE STUDENTS

Problems of Psychology in the 21st Century ◽

10.33225/ppc/21.15.82 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 15 (2) ◽

pp. 82-93

Author(s):

Marta Reis ◽

Lúcia Ramiro ◽

Margarida Gaspar de Matos

Keyword(s):

Health Promotion ◽

University Students ◽

Intervention Program ◽

Positive Impact ◽

Self Regulation ◽

Well Being ◽

Emotional Skills ◽

Wide Range ◽

The Impact ◽

Health And Well Being

Health promotion is defined as the process of enabling people to increase control over and to enhance their health. It focuses on individual behaviors towards a wide range of interventions on social and environmental determinants of health and other health related aspects of life (WHO, 2015; 2017). Thus, health promotion implies the need to promote and empower people with resources and skills towards health and well-being (Saboga-Nunes, et al., 2019). The literature reports a negative variation in the lifestyle of university students, and simultaneously demonstrates a significant percentage of university students with a set of emotional, relational, anxiety and stress management difficulties (WHO, 2021, 2018). The need to curb behavioral tendencies harmful to the health of young university students comes justify the need for health promotion in the context of these institutions. This study aimed at analyzing the impact of university students' training, in the area of health promotion and of personal and socio-emotional skills. Participated 286 students. The results show that in addition to the skills worked during the training, the students’ well-being and health also improved at the end of the training. The variables that evidenced to be the most important for the university students’ health promotion were that they finished the training with more self-esteem, resilience, psychological well-being, self-efficacy, happiness and less instability and alienation. Regarding the pre and post evaluation comparisons about skills, importance and usefulness of HBSC/JUnP training, it was observed that both knowledge about health aspects and personal and socio-emotional skills, namely the resilience, self-regulation and problem-solving strategies had a strong positive impact on promoting the health and well-being of students. Higher education institutions present themselves as enhancers of public health, contributing to the students make healthy choices. Keywords: health promotion, personal and socio-emotional skills, university students’ training, healthy universities, Portugal

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Aligned but not integrated: UK academic library support to mental health and well-being during COVID-19

Library Management ◽

10.1108/lm-09-2021-0075 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Andrew Cox ◽

Liz Brewster

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Web Sites ◽

Academic Library ◽

Physical Space ◽

Education Institution ◽

Well Being ◽

Management Decision ◽

Content Type ◽

Wide Range ◽

Health And Well Being

PurposeTo discover how UK academic libraries sought to support student mental health and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic.Design/methodology/approachThe data was from a 24-question survey of UK universities distributed in May 2021 which received 56 responses from 47 different Higher Education Institution libraries. Descriptive statistics are combined with thematic analysis of open text comments.FindingsLibraries were undertaking a wide range of activities, targeted chiefly at students and broadcast via Twitter, other social media and library web sites. The problem being addressed was the stresses of studying in the context of the pivot online and isolation caused by social distancing. Digital well-being seemed also to be an increased concern. COVID-19 had proved the value of digital support but created a number of challenges such as loss of physical space, communication barriers and lack of extra resource. The role had a somewhat informal place in the organisation. Overall library activities were aligned but not strongly integrated into institutional efforts.Research limitations/implicationsThis was a study in one specific national context with a relatively limited number of total responses. There could be a non-response bias where respondents were doing more than was typical in the sector.Originality/valueThe paper is one of the first papers to gather sector wide data and move beyond case studies of what individual libraries due to support to mental health and well-being. It also offers a case study of the impacts of COVID-19 on management pointing to its catalysing the digital shift, creating constraints on resources and communication and prompting the emergence of staff well-being as a consideration in management decision making.

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The Role of Nature-Based Solutions for Improving Environmental Quality, Health and Well-Being

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su131910950 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (19) ◽

pp. 10950

Author(s):

Hai-Ying Liu ◽

Marion Jay ◽

Xianwen Chen

Keyword(s):

Environmental Quality ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Well Being ◽

Urban Resilience ◽

Sustainable Solutions ◽

Trade Offs ◽

Wide Range ◽

Quality Health ◽

Health And Well Being

Nature-based solutions (NbS) have been positioned and implemented in urban areas as solutions for enhancing urban resilience in the face of a wide range of urban challenges. However, there is a lack of recommendations of optimal NbS and appropriate typologies fitting to different contexts and urban design. The analytical frameworks for NbS implementation and impact evaluation, that integrate NbS into local policy frameworks, socio-economic transition pathways, and spatial planning, remain fragmented. In this article, the NbS concept and its related terminologies are first discussed. Second, the types of NbS implemented in Europe are reviewed and their benefits over time are explored, prior to categorizing them and highlighting the key methods, criteria, and indicators to identify and assess the NbS’s impacts, co-benefits, and trade-offs. The latter involved a review of the websites of 52 projects and some relevant publications funded by EU Research and Innovation programs and other relevant publications. The results show that there is a shared understanding that the NbS concept encompasses benefits of restoration and rehabilitation of ecosystems, carbon neutrality, improved environmental quality, health and well-being, and evidence for such benefits. This study also shows that most NbS-related projects and activities in Europe use hybrid approaches, with NbS typically developed, tested, or implemented to target specific types of environmental–social–economic challenges. The results of this study indicate that NbS as a holistic concept would be beneficial in the context of climate action and sustainable solutions to enhance ecosystem resilience and adaptive capacity within cities. As such, this article provides a snapshot of the role of NbS in urban sustainability development, a guide to the state-of-the-art, and key messages and recommendations of this rapidly emerging and evolving field.

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