Does participating in community gardens promote sustainable lifestyles in urban settings? Design and protocol of the JArDinS study.
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Despite growing evidence for the multiple health benefits of community gardening, longitudinal studies based on quantitative data are needed. Here we describe the protocol of JArDinS, a quasi-experimental study, aimed at assessing the impact of community garden participation (a natural experiment) in the adoption of more sustainable lifestyles. METHODS:Gardeners (n?=?80) starting gardening in a community garden in Montpellier (France) will be recruited. Volunteers with no experience in community gardening and matched for age range, gender, household income and household composition will be recruited in a control group (n?=?80). The sustainability of lifestyles in its social/health, environmental and economic dimensions will be assessed from a food supply diary (recording type, quantity and price of foods acquired in a 1-month period and the carbon impact of relevant food trips), a triaxial accelerometer (measuring physical activity) and online questionnaires on mental and social health, sensitivity to food waste, and connection with nature. Change of outcomes after 1?year will be compared between the natural experiment and the control groups. DISCUSSION:This study will provide information on the impact of participation in a community garden on the different dimensions of sustainability, based on a robust quasi-experimental design allowing causality evaluation. TRIAL REGISTRATION:The JArDinS study was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT03694782 . Date of registration: 3rd October 2018, retrospectively registered.
SUBMITTER: Tharrey M
PROVIDER: S-EPMC6525470 | biostudies-literature | 2019 May
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
ACCESS DATA