Gardening For Health

The King’s Fund has released a briefing exploring the impact of gardens and gardening on health and wellbeing.

• Key findings:
  Increasing exposure to green space has been linked to a reduction in reported health problems, reduced levels of obesity, increased physical activity, improved mental health and reduced health inequalities.
• More specific evidence on gardening for health is more complex but suggests improvements in children’s fruit and vegetable intake and positive benefits in academic settings.
• Studies have shown reductions in depression and anxiety and improved social functioning as a result of gardening.
• As we age, gardens become a more important source of physical activity, identity and independence and have a role to play in reducing loneliness. Emerging evidence suggests that gardening may also be important for falls prevention, dementia prevention and cognitive decline.

The briefing explores the way in which gardening can be used within the health and care system for social prescribing, community gardens, volunteering and recovery from illness, dementia care and end-of-life care.
Click here for more information.

Posted on 18th May 2016