Date and Time
November 19, 2008
1:30 PM - 3:00 PM

Availability
Open to the public
No RSVP required

Depending on the population, gardening is reported as either the first or second most common form of leisure time physical activity (after walking), with 28% of the adult population in the U.S. reporting gardening or yard work. However, gardening is not without its potential health harms, including reports of infectious diseases from soil-borne and manure-borne pathogens and orthopedic injuries from gardening-related falls. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the health effects of gardening interventions to identify the intervention characteristics associated with the greatest improvements in fitness, physical and mental health outcomes, consumption of fruits and vegetables, and economic outcomes. We performed a multivariate meta-analysis and present our preliminary results on 32 studies of school-based, hospital-based, and community-based gardening programs.