Relationship between Community or Home Gardening and Health of the Elderly: A Web-Based Cross-Sectional Survey in Japan
Machida D.
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(8):1389
Urban Farm DB summary
A web-based cross-sectional survey of community-dwelling older adults in Japan examined links between community or home gardening and health-related indicators. Gardening with others was significantly associated with exercise habits, physical activity, vegetable intake and neighborly connections, and with higher subjective happiness and sense of purpose, supporting gardens as a means to counter isolation among the elderly.
Key points
- 1Among Japanese elderly, community gardening showed significant relationships with exercise habits, physical activity, vegetable intake, and neighborly connections.
- 2Home gardening was significantly associated with subjective happiness, exercise habits, physical activity, sitting time, eating breakfast, eating vegetables, eating balanced meals, and connections with neighbors.
- 3Gardening frequency did not show a significant relationship with any health or lifestyle indicators.
- 4A significant relationship was demonstrated between gardening duration and health problems affecting everyday life.
- 5Gardening with others was significantly associated with higher subjective happiness and a stronger sense of purpose (reason for living).
Extracted facts
5 factsOnly numbers and their conditions are stored, as structured data — never the source's own sentences. Metric and condition names stay in English, as coded.
- significant for exercise physical activity vegetable intake neighbour connectionStatistically significant
health and lifestyle association(community gardener elderly)
Healthn = 1,000Control: nongardeners- region
- JP
- setting
- community-dwelling
- study design
- web-based-cross-sectional-survey
- age range
- 60-69
- gardeners n
- 500
- nongardeners n
- 500
- significant for happiness exercise diet and neighbour connectionStatistically significant
health and lifestyle association(home gardener elderly)
Healthn = 1,000Control: nongardeners- region
- JP
- setting
- community-dwelling
- study design
- web-based-cross-sectional-survey
- age range
- 60-69
- gardeners n
- 500
- nongardeners n
- 500
- no significant association→ No changeNot significant
gardening frequency association(elderly gardener)
Healthn = 1,000- region
- JP
- setting
- community-dwelling
- study design
- web-based-cross-sectional-survey
- age range
- 60-69
- significant associationStatistically significant
gardening duration health problem association(elderly gardener)
Healthn = 1,000- region
- JP
- setting
- community-dwelling
- study design
- web-based-cross-sectional-survey
- age range
- 60-69
- significant associationStatistically significant
subjective happiness and reason for living association(gardening with others elderly)
Socialn = 1,000- region
- JP
- setting
- community-dwelling
- study design
- web-based-cross-sectional-survey
- age range
- 60-69
Direction of conclusions
Each author conclusion is recorded only as a coded direction per topic. Read the original for the conclusion itself.
- Nutrition and healthSupports
- Mental healthSupports
- Community cohesionSupports
Abstract and stored text
OpenAlexThere have been many reports indicating the relationship between gardening and health or healthy lifestyles among adults in developed countries all over the world. However, Japanese evidence is lacking. The aim of this study was to clarify the relationship between community or home gardening and health status or a healthy lifestyle using a web-based survey with Japanese elderly living in the community. A survey was conducted to gather data from 500 gardeners and 500 nongardeners aged 60 to 69. As a result, significant relationships were shown between community gardening and exercise habits, physical activity, eating vegetables, and connections with neighbors. Moreover, the significant relationships between home gardening and the following items were indicated: Subjective happiness, exercise habits, physical activity, sitting time, eating breakfast, eating vegetables, eating balanced meals, and connections with neighbors. No item demonstrated a significant relationship with gardening frequency. A significant relationship was demonstrated between gardening duration and health problems affecting everyday life. Further significant relationships were shown between gardening with others and subjective happiness, having a reason for living. In conclusion, promising positive relationships between community or home gardening and health or healthy lifestyles were indicated.
Why it matters for urban farming
This study provides strong evidence that both community and home gardening contribute positively to the health and well-being of older adults, including physical activity, healthy eating, and social connections. For urban farms, this underscores their potential role as vital community assets that can combat social isolation, promote healthy lifestyles, and enhance the subjective happiness and sense of purpose for elderly citizens. Encouraging participation in urban farming activities, especially those involving collaborative efforts, can be a powerful tool for community health and elder care.