Gardening in Childcare Centers: A Randomized Controlled Trial Examining the Effects of a Garden Intervention on Physical Activity among Children Aged 3–5 Years in North Carolina

Nancy M. Wells (), Nilda Graciela Cosco, Derek Hales, Muntazar Monsur and Robin C. Moore
Additional contact information
Nancy M. Wells: Department of Human Centered Design, College of Human Ecology, Cornell University, 1300F MVR Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
Nilda Graciela Cosco: Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning, College of Design, North Carolina State University, 50 Pullen Road, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
Derek Hales: Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1700 Martin L. King Jr. Blvd., CB 7426, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
Muntazar Monsur: Department of Landscape Architecture, Davis College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA
Robin C. Moore: Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning, College of Design, North Carolina State University, 50 Pullen Road, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 11, 1-16

Abstract: This study examined the effects of a childcare gardening intervention on children’s physical activity (PA). Eligible childcare centers were randomly assigned to: (1) garden intervention ( n = 5; year 1); (2) waitlist control ( n = 5; control year 1, intervention year 2); or (3) control ( n = 5; year 2 only) groups. Across the two-year study, PA was measured for 3 days at four data collection periods using Actigraph GT3X+ accelerometers. The intervention comprised 6 raised fruit and vegetable garden beds and a gardening guide with age-appropriate learning activities. The sample included a total of 321 3–5-year-olds enrolled in childcare centers in Wake County, North Carolina, with n = 293 possessing PA data for at least one time point. The analyses employed repeated measures linear mixed models (SAS v 9.4 PROC MIXED), accounting for clustering of the children within the center and relevant covariates (e.g., cohort, weather, outside days, accelerometer wear). A significant intervention effect was found for MVPA ( p < 0.0001) and SED minutes ( p = 0.0004), with children at intervention centers acquiring approximately 6 min more MVPA and 14 min less sedentary time each day. The effects were moderated by sex and age, with a stronger impact for boys and the youngest children. The results suggest that childcare gardening has potential as a PA intervention.

Keywords: childcare; children; gardening; randomized controlled trial; physical activity; accelerometry (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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