TY - JOUR
T1 - Home Gardening and the Health and Well-Being of Adolescents
AU - van Lier, Laila E.
AU - Utter, Jennifer
AU - Denny, Simon
AU - Lucassen, Mathijs
AU - Dyson, Ben
AU - Clark, Terryann
N1 - Funding Information:
Funding for the Youth?12 survey was provided by a consortium of eight government agencies: the Ministry of Youth Development, the Ministry of Social Development, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Justice, the Department of Labor, the Health Promotion Agency, and the Families Commission.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2016, © 2016 Society for Public Health Education.
Copyright:
Copyright 2016 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2017/1/1
Y1 - 2017/1/1
N2 - Background. The current article explores the associations between home gardening and dietary behaviors, physical activity, mental health, and social relationships among secondary school students in New Zealand. Method. Data were drawn from a national youth health and well-being survey, conducted in 2012. In total, 8,500 randomly selected students from 91 randomly selected secondary schools completed the survey. Results. Two thirds of students had a vegetable garden at home and one quarter of all students participated in home gardening. Students participating in gardening were most likely to be male, of a Pacific Island ethnicity, of younger age, and living in a rural area. Gardening was positively associated with healthy dietary habits among students, such as greater fruit and vegetable consumption. Gardening was also positively associated with physical activity and improved mental health and well-being. Students who participate in gardening report slightly lower levels of depressive symptoms and enhanced emotional well-being and experience higher family connection than students who do not participate in gardening. Conclusions. Gardening may make a difference for health and nutrition behaviors and may contribute to adolescents’ health and well-being in a positive manner. Health promoters should be encouraged to include gardening in future interventions for young people.
AB - Background. The current article explores the associations between home gardening and dietary behaviors, physical activity, mental health, and social relationships among secondary school students in New Zealand. Method. Data were drawn from a national youth health and well-being survey, conducted in 2012. In total, 8,500 randomly selected students from 91 randomly selected secondary schools completed the survey. Results. Two thirds of students had a vegetable garden at home and one quarter of all students participated in home gardening. Students participating in gardening were most likely to be male, of a Pacific Island ethnicity, of younger age, and living in a rural area. Gardening was positively associated with healthy dietary habits among students, such as greater fruit and vegetable consumption. Gardening was also positively associated with physical activity and improved mental health and well-being. Students who participate in gardening report slightly lower levels of depressive symptoms and enhanced emotional well-being and experience higher family connection than students who do not participate in gardening. Conclusions. Gardening may make a difference for health and nutrition behaviors and may contribute to adolescents’ health and well-being in a positive manner. Health promoters should be encouraged to include gardening in future interventions for young people.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85008248851&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/1524839916673606
DO - 10.1177/1524839916673606
M3 - Article
C2 - 27765876
AN - SCOPUS:85008248851
VL - 18
SP - 34
EP - 43
JO - Health Promotion Practice
JF - Health Promotion Practice
SN - 1524-8399
IS - 1
ER -
