A culturally tailored community gardening approach to improving physical activity, fruit and vegetable consumption, and psychological health among African American women: A pre-post feasibility study.

Abstract

Background: African American (AA) women participate in low levels of physical activity (PA), under consume fruits and vegetables (FV), and experience poor psychological health. Increasing evidence suggests community gardening as an approach to positively affect health. The purpose of this study was to examine the feasibility of an 8-week culturally tailored community gardening intervention among middle-aged AA women.

Methods: Eleven AA women (45-64 years) participated in a single group pre-posttest feasibility study during the summer of 2023 in Champaign, Illinois. The intervention included a novel approach to cultural tailoring by embedding Black History Knowledge (BHK) within the context of community gardening. Feasibility was assessed through a postintervention survey. Device-assessed PA (Fitbit Charge 3), FV consumption (Veggie Meter®), self-report PA, food frequency questionnaire, and psychological health were assessed at baseline and postintervention. Wilcoxon signed rank tests examined changes in pre-post measures. Effect size estimates were calculated using r.

Results: Participants increased device-assessed daily step count (median 880 steps per day increase; r=0.53; P=0.028) and FV consumption (median 82-unit increase; r=0.51; P=0.016). There was a moderate effect on device-assessed light PA (r=0.45) and a small effect on device-assessed total PA (r=0.29), and perceived stress (r=-0.25). Sixty-seven percent (6/9) of women indicated that they would recommend this program to others.

Conclusion: A culturally tailored, community-gardening intervention may be a feasible approach to increase device-assessed PA and FV consumption and improve psychological health among AA women, but future studies should be adequately powered.