According to a study done by lead author Cathleen Zick, a professor of family and consumer studies at the University of Utah, community gardens produce not just fruit and vegetables but body weight benefits to participants of community gardening.
Zick studied three groups. One group was people unrelated but have same geographic neighborhood that share similar physical environments such as closeness to stores, economic status and physical environments.
The second group was same sex siblings, who shares similar genetic predispositions for weight and family influences on diet and exercise. The third group was married couples of the gardeners since they are very likely to share lifestyle and food selections, including food grown in the community garden.
The result showed, women community gardeners had an average BMI 1.84 lower than their neighbors, which is 11 pound weight difference for a woman 5- feet, 5-inches tall. Also for men, the BMI was smaller by 2.36 for gardeners a- difference of 16 pounds for a man 5-feet, 10-inches tall, compared to those who didn't garden.
“These data are intriguing, although they were drawn from participants in a single community gardening organization in Salt Lake City and may not apply broadly until more research is done,” Zick said. “However, as the percentage of Americans living in urban areas continues to grow, this initial study validates the idea that community gardens are a valuable neighborhood asset that can promote healthier living. That could be of interest to urban planners, public health officials and others focused on designing new neighborhoods and revitalizing old ones.”
Obesity is costing United States $190 billion in annual medical costs. It costs $1,850 more per year in medical costs for an overweight person than for someone of healthy weight, among employees at the Mayo Clinic and their adult dependents.
According to Sheldon Jacobson of the University of Illinois, the additional weight carried by vehicles as a result of obese and overweight Americans is responsible for nearly one billion additional gallons of gasoline being burned each year by our automobiles, nearly 1 percent of our total gasoline usage.
“This study begins to shed light on the costs and benefits of the choices families make about eating and physical activity. Future research with controlled, randomized field studies across a range of communities are needed to further advance our understanding of the role gardening can play in healthy lives.”Zick added.
The study was published in the American Journal of Public Health.
