Evidence for your Practice: Home garden use during COVID-19

Home garden use during COVID-19: Associations with physical and mental well-being in older adults

Article: Corley, J., Okely, J. A., Taylor, A. M., Page, D., Welstead, M., Skarabela, B., & Russ, T. C. (2021). Home garden use during COVID-19: Associations with physical and mental wellbeing in older adults. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 73, 101545.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272494420307106 

Study Aim: To examine whether access to and use of home green space contributes to physical and mental well-being in older adults (>84 years) during the COVID-19 lockdown period. 

Rationale: 

• Policy measures including social distancing and self-isolation have physical and psychological impacts, particularly for those 70 years and older as restrictions have been more stringent for this age group. 

• Social distancing measures have impeded the ability for older people to access public green spaces and natural environments which have repeatedly shown to improve physical and emotional well-being. 

• Gardening in one's own home environment could alleviate some of the mental and physical harms of the COVID-19 crisis and unintended impacts of the restrictions.

Key Findings:

• Those who identified as being a gardener were less likely to have a history of depressive symptoms

• 67% of participants reported using a garden for relaxation reasons 

• 50% of participants reported using the garden more frequently compared with pre-lockdown, 42% reported no change in frequency, and 8% reported gardening less often.

• Overall, those who reported spending more time in the garden during COVID-19 lockdown compared with pre-lockdown, reported significantly better physical health, emotional and mental well-being, as well as sleep quality compared to those who used the garden the same or less frequently than pre-lockdown.  

Implications for OTs:

• Gardening as an occupation likely benefits the individual regardless of the intent. It appears the time spent gardening is more important than whether it is done as a productive occupation or as a means of relaxing. 

• Spending time in the garden requires some degree of physical activity which promotes strength, flexibility, balance and fitness, while offering psychological benefits such as exposure to fresh air and sunlight.

• Being in the garden may provide opportunities for interacting with neighbors while maintaining social distancing which promotes a sense of community and social ties. 

• Occupational therapists can recommend gardening itself as an intervention, as an assessment to measure physical variables, or prescribe gardening as a means to promote other occupational engagements (e.g social interactions, outdoor time, movement). 

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