Reducing Stress in the City: Can participation in community food gardens help?

Background/Purpose: Social and therapeutic horticulture research has demonstrated positive health benefits for individuals working with plants in controlled settings. However, horticulture therapy typically focuses on at-risk or special needs groups and requires a trained therapist. Are certain benefits available to urban residents who engage in gardening practice outside of such settings? If so, this has policy and public health implications for forms of urban agriculture, such as community gardening, that provide people with opportunities to unwind from the stressors (e.g. noise, crowding) of daily urban life.

Methods/Approach: In 2013, 46 women gardeners and 11 controls were recruited from Chicago’s north side to participate in a longitudinal study that included standard mental health scales for stress (Cohen PSS-10), anxiety (GAD-7), and depression (CESD-R). Participants were assessed at the beginning of the gardening season and again at the end.

Findings: Gardeners reported a mean stress score of 15.61 (SD 6.07) at baseline and 13.72 (SD 6.34) at finish, whereas controls reported a mean stress score of 15.91 (SD 7.79) at baseline and 15.27 (SD 7.36) at finish. These differences were statistically significant among gardeners (p<.01) but not controls (p=.22). No statistically significant differences were found within or between groups for the anxiety and depression scores.

Implications: Participation in community gardens may provide modest health benefits for urban residents, such as reducing perceptions of stress. However, a more diverse sample is needed in order to better understand how gardening might affect different segments of the population, particularly those that suffer from health disparities.