RESEARCH

Assessing health impacts of home food gardens with Wind River Indian Reservation families: protocol for a randomiZed controlled trial

The “Growing Resilience” project is a randomized controlled trial designed to assess the health impacts of home food gardens on Indigenous families on the Wind River Indian Reservation. The study aims to determine if home gardening can be a culturally relevant and effective health promotion strategy to address health disparities.

Program Types: Therapeutic, Vocational

Population Groups: Older Adults/Seniors, Children/Youth, General Population, Chronic/Acute Health Conditions

Health and Wellness Outcomes: Improved Mental Health, Enhanced Emotional Well-being, Improved Cognitive Function, Improved Physical Health, Increase in Standing or Walking Tolerance, Better Nutritional Awareness, Increased Social Engagement & Skills, Faster Recovery Times, Longevity & Aging Well, Increased Horticultural Knowledge

Allied Profession Intersections: Social Work, Nursing

Type of Activity: Outdoor Gardening, Edible Plant Gardening

Evidence Type: Randomized Controlled Trials, Qualitative Research, Quantitative Research

Measurement and Evaluation: Metrics for Mental Health, Metrics for Physical Health, Patient-Reported Outcomes, Standardized Assessment Tools, Program Effectiveness

Access: Free

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Summary

This article outlines a research project called “Growing Resilience,” which aims to evaluate the health impacts of home food gardens on Indigenous families living on the Wind River Indian Reservation (WRIR). This is a community-based participatory research project that involves a randomized controlled trial (RCT) where families are given support to create and maintain home gardens, with health data collected over two years. The study seeks to determine if home gardening can be an effective and culturally appropriate strategy to address health disparities in this population.
The study will recruit 100 Indigenous families who are interested in starting a home food garden but haven’t recently gardened. Participants will be randomly assigned to either an intervention group (receiving gardening support for two years) or a control group (receiving delayed intervention). Data will be collected twice a year, including biometric measures (BMI, waist circumference, blood pressure, hand strength), blood samples, and survey-based measures of food security, physical and mental wellness. The primary outcome is adult BMI, with secondary outcomes including child BMI, hand strength, mental and physical health, diabetes control, and food security. The project also incorporates qualitative methods to provide insights into the project process and outcomes.

Link

Porter, C.M., Wechsler, A.M., Naschold, F. et al. (2019). Assessing health impacts of home food gardens with Wind River Indian Reservation families: Protocol for a randomized controlled trial. BMJ Open, 9(4), e002731.

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