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Open Access 01-12-2024 | Research

The impact of gardening on well-being, mental health, and quality of life: an umbrella review and meta-analysis

Authors: I. Panțiru, A. Ronaldson, N. Sima, A. Dregan, R. Sima

Published in: Systematic Reviews | Issue 1/2024

Abstract

Background

Gardening and horticultural therapy (HT) has been widely recognised as a multicomponent approach that has affected a broad range of health and well-being outcomes. The aim of this umbrella review and meta-analysis was to compare the findings of previous reviews on the impact of multiple gardening interventions and gardening attributes on different well-being constructs.

Methods

Electronic databases including PubMed, Web of Science, Science Direct, the Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar were searched from inception to December 2022. Interventional and observational reviews were eligible for inclusion in this umbrella review. Outcome measures included mental well-being, health status and quality of life. The key exposure variables were gardening and horticultural therapy. Narrative synthesis was used to evaluate the overall impact of gardening and HT on study outcomes. For a subsample of studies with available quantitative data, a random effect meta-analysis was conducted.

Results

This umbrella review included 40 studies (10 interventional studies, 2 observational studies, and 28 mixed interventional and observational studies). The reviewed studies reported an overall positive impact of gardening activities on several measures of mental well-being, quality of life, and health status. Meta-analysis showed a significant and positive effect of gardening and HT activities on well-being (effect size (ES) 0.55, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.23, 0.87, p < 0.001).

Conclusions

Evidence from observational and interventional studies supports a positive role for gardening and HT activities on well-being and general health. Interventional studies with horticultural-based therapies were effective in improving well-being and quality of life both in the general population and vulnerable subgroups. The high degree of heterogeneity in the included studies cautions against any direct clinical implications of the study findings.

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Title: The impact of gardening on well-being, mental health, and quality of life: an umbrella review and meta-analysis
Authors: I. Panțiru
A. Ronaldson
N. Sima
A. Dregan
R. Sima
Publication date: 01-12-2024
Publisher: BioMed Central
Published in: Systematic Reviews / Issue 1/2024
Electronic ISSN: 2046-4053
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13643-024-02457-9

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The impact of gardening on well-being, mental health, and quality of life: an umbrella review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusions

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Abstract

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusions

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