Abstract
Objective
To determine the association between household participation in a community garden
and fruit and vegetable consumption among urban adults.
Design
Data were analyzed from a cross-sectional random phone survey conducted in 2003. A
quota sampling strategy was used to ensure that all census tracts within the city
were represented.
Setting
Flint, Michigan
Participants
766 adults
Variables Measured
Fruit and vegetable intake was measured using questionnaire items from the Behavioral
Risk Factor Surveillance System. Household participation in a community garden was
assessed by asking the respondent if he or she, or any member of the household, had
participated in a community garden project in the last year.
Analysis
Generalized linear models and logistic regression models assessed the association
between household participation in a community garden and fruit and vegetable intake,
controlling for demographic, neighborhood participation, and health variables.
Results
Adults with a household member who participated in a community garden consumed fruits
and vegetables 1.4 more times per day than those who did not participate, and they
were 3.5 times more likely to consume fruits and vegetables at least 5 times daily.
Conclusions and Implications
Household participation in a community garden may improve fruit and vegetable intake
among urban adults.
Key Words
To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
Purchase one-time access:
Academic & Personal: 24 hour online accessCorporate R&D Professionals: 24 hour online accessSNEB Member Login
SNEB Members, full access to the journal is a member benefit. Login via the SNEB Website to access all journal content and features.Subscribe:
Subscribe to Journal of Nutrition Education and BehaviorAlready a print subscriber? Claim online access
Already an online subscriber? Sign in
Register: Create an account
Institutional Access: Sign in to ScienceDirect
References
- Fruit and vegetables, and cardiovascular disease: a review.Int J Epidemiol. 1997; 26: 1-13
- Antioxidant vitamin intake and coronary mortality in a longitudinal population study.Am J Epidemiol. 1994; 139: 1180-1189
- Fruit and vegetable intake and risk of cardiovascular disease in US adults: the first National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Epidemiologic Follow-up Study.Am J Clin Nutr. 2002; 76: 93-99
- Epidemiologic evidence of the protective effect of fruit and vegetables on cancer risk.Am J Clin Nutr. 2003; 78: 559S-569S
- Fruit, vegetables, and cancer prevention: a review of the epidemiological evidence.Nutr Cancer. 1992; 18: 1-29
- Fruit and vegetable intake in relation to risk of ischemic stroke.JAMA. 1999; 282: 1233-1239
- Actual causes of death in the United States, 2000.JAMA. 2004; 291: 1238-1245
- Trends in fruit and vegetable consumption among adults in the United States: behavioral risk factor surveillance system, 1994-2000.Am J Public Health. 2004; 94: 1014-1018
- Fruit and vegetable access differs by community racial composition and socioeconomic position in Detroit, Michigan.Ethn Dis. 2006; 16: 275-280
- Fruit and vegetable intake in African Americans: income and store characteristics.Am J Prev Med. 2005; 29: 1-9
- Gardening’s socioeconomic impacts.J Extension. 1991; 29: 7-8
- Neighborhood characteristics associated with the location of food stores and food service places.Am J Prev Med. 2002; 22: 23-29
- Urban horticulture in the contemporary United States: personal and community benefits.Acta Horticulture. 2004; 643: 171-181
- “We Don’t Only Grow Vegetables, We Grow Values”: Neighborhood Benefits of Community Gardens in Flint, Michigan.in: Brugge D. Hynes P. Community Research in Environmental Health: Lessons in Science, Advocacy and Ethics. Ashgate Publishing Ltd, Aldershot, UK2005: 123-142
- A survey of community gardens in upstate New York: implications for health promotion and community development.Health Place. 2000; 6: 319-327
- Culturing community development, neighborhood open space, and civic agriculture: the case of Latino community gardens in New York City.Agric Human Values. 2004; 21: 399-412
- Community development through gardening: state and local policies transforming urban open space.Legislation and Public Policy. 2000; 351: 351-392
- People, land, and sustainability: community gardens and the social dimension of sustainable development.Soc Policy Admin. 2001; 35: 559-568
- Community gardens: lessons learned from California Healthy Cities and Communities.Am J Public Health. 2003; 93: 1435-1438
- Social capital in the lived experiences of community gardeners.Leisure Sci. 2004; 26: 143-162
- The Neighborhood Impact of Community Gardens.Public Policy Research Center, St. Louis, Mo2003
- The Effect of Community Gardens on Neighboring Property Values.New York University School of Law, NYU Center for Law and Economics, New York2006 (Working Paper No. 06-09)
- A dietary, social, and economic evaluation of the Philadelphia Urban Gardening Project.J Nutr Educ. 1991; 23: 161-167
- Nutrition and Your Health: Dietary Guidelines for Americans.5th ed. Home and Garden Bulletin No.232, Washington, DC2000
- Final Report: Evaluation of the Neighborhood Violence Prevention Collaborative.Prevention Research Center of Michigan, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, Mich2002
- Neighborhood Violence Prevention Collaborative Evaluation Report: Community Gardens.Prevention Research Center of Michigan, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Neighborhood Violence Prevention Collaborative, Flint Urban Gardening and Land Use Corporation, Ann Arbor, Mich2002
- Assessing the impact of improved retail access on diet in a ‘Food Desert’: a preliminary report.Urban Stud. 2002; 39: 2061-2082
- Community-level comparisons between the grocery store environment and individual dietary practices.Prev Med. 1991; 20: 250-261
- Improving the nutritional resource environment for healthy living through community-based participatory research.J Gen Intern Med. 2003; 18: 568-575
- The contextual effect of the local food environment on residents’ diets: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study.Am J Public Health. 2002; 92: 1761-1767
- A Multi-level Health Assessment of Flint, Michigan.University of Michigan–Flint, Flint, Mich2000
- Fourth-grade children’s consumption of fruit and vegetable items available as part of school lunches is closely related to preferences.J Nutr Educ Behav. 2002; 34: 166-171
- Availability, accessibility, and preferences for fruit, 100% fruit juice, and vegetables influence children’s dietary behavior.Health Educ Behav. 2003; 30: 615-626
- Modifying children’s food preferences: the effects of exposure and reward on acceptance of an unfamiliar vegetable.Eur J Clin Nutr. 2003; 57: 341-348
- Healthful eating: perceptions, motivations, barriers, and promoters in low-income Minnesota communities.J Am Diet Assoc. 2004; 104: 1158-1161
- Low-income consumers’ attitudes and behavior towards access, availability and motivation to eat fruit and vegetables.Public Health Nutr. 2003; 6: 159-168
- First-grade gardeners more likely to taste vegetables.Calif Agr. 2001; 55: 43-46
- Development and evaluation of a garden-enhanced nutrition education curriculum for elementary schoolchildren.J Child Nutr Manag. 2002; ([serial online]) (Accessed January 10, 2008)
- Nutrition to grow on: a garden-enhanced nutrition education curriculum for upper-elementary schoolchildren.J Nutr Educ Behav. 2002; 34: 175-176
- Garden-enhanced nutrition curriculum improves fourth-grade school children’s knowledge of nutrition and preferences for some vegetables.J Am Diet Assoc. 2002; 102: 91-93
Article info
Footnotes
The Speak to Your Health! Community Survey was supported by the Prevention Research Center of Michigan (PRC) (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Grant No. U48/CCU515775) and the Genesee County Health Department, Flint, Michigan.
Identification
Copyright
© 2008 SOCIETY FOR NUTRITION EDUCATION. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
