People who participate in community gardening projects are likely to have a lower body mass index and are less likely to be obese, says a new study from researchers at University of Utah.
For the study lead researcher Cathleen Zick and her team surveyed 423 adults that had participated in Utah's Wasatch Community Gardens (WCG) for at least one year between 1995 and 2010. They found that women in the study had 1.84 points lower than non-gardening neighbors while male gardener's BMI was 2.36 points lower.
"It has been shown previously that community gardens can provide a variety of social and nutritional benefits to neighborhoods," says Zick. "But until now, we did not have data to show a measurable health benefit for those who use the gardens."
"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 notes.
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