What Is the Evidence for the Impact of Gardens and Gardening on Health and Wellbeing: A Systematic Scoping Review and evidence-based logic model to facilitate social prescribing for clinicians and policy makers
The objective of the scoping review was to systematically identify and describe studies that have evaluated the impact of gardens and gardening on health and wellbeing. A secondary objective was to use this evidence to build evidence-based logic models to guide policy makers and clinicians in future decision making about gardens and gardening as a social prescription. The setting was located in a community context and we explored the literature for evidence about the impact of gardens including private spaces and those open to the public or part of hospitals, care homes, hospices or third sector organisations on adults and children. We used a systematic scoping methodology to search data bases and grey literature. The findings demonstrated links between gardens and improved mental wellbeing, increased physical activity and a reduction in social isolation enabling the development of 2 logic models. The benefits of gardens and gardening could be used as a ‘social prescription’ for people with Long Terms Conditions (LTC). Our logic models provide an evidence-based illustration that can guide decision making about the referral of people with LTC to socially prescribed interventions involving gardens and gardening. The results of the project have been published in the BMJ Open Journal
Project Team: Dr Michelle Howarth, Professor Alison Brettle, Dr Mike Hardman, Dr Michelle Maden
Funding: HEIF