Abstract
The purpose of this study was to explore the effect of the frequency of participation in horticultural activity types on psychological well-being and fruit and vegetable intake. The study sought to understand the mediating effect of psychological well-being between the frequency of types of horticultural activities and the frequency of fruit and vegetable intake. Convenience sampling was used to collect 400 valid data through a self-administered questionnaire that inquired about the frequency of four horticultural activity types (indoor plant activities, outdoor plant activities, arts/crafts activities, and excursions), the measure of psychological well-being, and the frequency of fruit and vegetable intake. The results showed that a higher frequency of indoor and outdoor plant activity positively affected psychological well-being. Psychological well-being played a partial mediation role between indoor plant activity and vegetable and fruit intake and a full mediation role between outdoor plant activity and vegetable and fruit intake. The plant-related arts/crafts activities and excursions were not associated with psychological well-being or vegetable and fruit intake.
Highlights
Participating in horticultural activities produces multiple benefits, including improvements in psychological well-being [1,2]
* p < 0.05; ** p < 0.01; *** p < 0.01; AC: arts/crafts activity frequency; BCa 95% CI: bias-corrected and accelerated 95% confidence interval based on 5000 bootstrapped samples; EX: excursion frequency; Nutrients
Psychological well-being played a role of partial mediation between indoor plant activities and vegetable and fruit intake
Summary
Participating in horticultural activities produces multiple benefits, including improvements in psychological well-being [1,2]. Zhu et al designed a randomized controlled trial to demonstrate that a horticultural therapy program improved positive and negative emotions in patients with schizophrenia [1]. Ng et al showed that a horticultural therapy program promoted psychological well-being in older adults [2]. Several studies have pointed out that participating in horticultural activity increases fruit and vegetable intake [3]. Alaimo et al demonstrated that participating in a community garden increased the vegetable and fruit intake of urban adults [3]. Heim et al showed that garden-based experiential learning activities increased fruit and vegetable intake in children [4]
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