RESEARCH

Better health through horticulture: using Horticulture to Influence Behavior and Reduce Stress.

This paper details that horticultural intervention, such as gardening, can improve physical and mental health in older adults and college students. The study indicates that gardening increases social interaction and improves mood in older adults, while also reducing blood pressure in college students.
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Summary

This thesis explores how gardening can improve the health and well-being of older adults and college students. The author conducted a study with older adults in a long-term care facility, where they participated in gardening workshops. The study looked at how these workshops affected things like greenhouse attendance, social interactions, and emotional state. Additionally, the author gathered physiological data from college students before and after they engaged in gardening activities to measure changes in stress levels. The goal was to provide quantitative evidence on the positive effects of gardening on holistic human health.

The study found that gardening workshops increased attendance at the greenhouse, improved social interactions among older adults, and decreased feelings of distress. College students also experienced lowered blood pressure after gardening. The author suggests that these findings support the idea that horticultural activities can be used to improve the quality of life for older adults and reduce stress in college students. The interventions provided physical contact with plants and soil and may have removed volatile organic compounds and increased air quality.

Link

Ochylski, R. (2017). Better health through horticulture: Using horticulture to influence behavior and reduce stress. Thesis: Northern Michigan University.

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