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Valuing the Benefits and Enhancing Access: Community and Allotment Gardens in Urban Melbourne, Australia. LAND 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/land11010062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to explore perceptions of the benefits and challenges experienced by community and allotment gardens utilising a broad theoretical analysis, pertaining to the case study of Melbourne, a city in Australia that until recently has been experiencing significant population growth and urban densification. The study involved qualitative, semi-structured interviews with 23 participants from six urban community and allotment gardens. Interviews identified the perceived benefits of community and allotment gardening, perceived demographic patterns of engagement, challenges faced in relation to secure land access, and the potential offered by community and allotment gardens for social and environmental wellbeing. Findings revealed a range of perceived benefits, perceived demographic patterns, highlighted challenges posed to participation due to insecurity around ongoing land access, and detailed the perceived capacity community and allotment gardens have to contribute to social and environmental wellbeing. This study contributes to existing literature focused on the benefits and potential of community and allotment gardening for personal, social and environmental wellbeing, by offering an original theoretical contribution through carrying out an analysis informed by urban geography, phenomenology, political economy and ecology, and to literature focused on issues of access to land for these amenities.
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Lee C, Kuhn I, McGrath M, Remes O, Cowan A, Duncan F, Baskin C, Oliver EJ, Osborn DPJ, Dykxhoorn J, Kaner E, Walters K, Kirkbride J, Gnani S, Lafortune L. A systematic scoping review of community-based interventions for the prevention of mental ill-health and the promotion of mental health in older adults in the UK. HEALTH & SOCIAL CARE IN THE COMMUNITY 2022; 30:27-57. [PMID: 33988281 DOI: 10.1111/hsc.13413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2021] [Revised: 03/24/2021] [Accepted: 03/31/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Mental health concerns in older adults are common, with increasing age-related risks to physical health, mobility and social isolation. Community-based approaches are a key focus of public health strategy in the UK, and may reduce the impact of these risks, protecting mental health and promoting wellbeing. We conducted a review of UK community-based interventions to understand the types of intervention studied and mental health/wellbeing impacts reported. METHOD We conducted a scoping review of the literature, systematically searching six electronic databases (2000-2020) to identify academic studies of any non-clinical community intervention to improve mental health or wellbeing outcomes for older adults. Data were extracted, grouped by population targeted, intervention type, and outcomes reported, and synthesised according to a framework categorising community actions targeting older adults. RESULTS In total, 1,131 full-text articles were assessed for eligibility and 54 included in the final synthesis. Example interventions included: link workers; telephone helplines; befriending; digital support services; group social activities. These were grouped into: connector services, gateway services/approaches, direct interventions and systems approaches. These interventions aimed to address key risk factors: loneliness, social isolation, being a caregiver and living with long-term health conditions. Outcome measurement varied greatly, confounding strong evidence in favour of particular intervention types. CONCLUSION The literature is wide-ranging in focus and methodology. Greater specificity and consistency in outcome measurement are required to evidence effectiveness - no single category of intervention yet stands out as 'promising'. More robust evidence on the active components of interventions to promote older adult's mental health is required.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Lee
- Cambridge Public Health, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Isla Kuhn
- School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge Medical Library, Cambridge, UK
| | | | - Olivia Remes
- Cambridge Public Health, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Andy Cowan
- Cambridge Public Health, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Fiona Duncan
- Department of Sport and Exercise Sciences, Durham University, Durham, England
| | - Cleo Baskin
- Department of Primary Care and Public Health, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Emily J Oliver
- Department of Sport and Exercise Sciences, Durham University, Durham, England
| | | | - Jennifer Dykxhoorn
- Division of Psychiatry, UCL, London, UK
- Department of Primary Care and Public Health, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Eileen Kaner
- Population Health Sciences Institute, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK
| | - Kate Walters
- Department of Primary Care and Public Health, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | | | - Shamini Gnani
- Department of Primary Care and Public Health, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
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Ibrahim AF, Tan MP, Teoh GK, Muda SM, Chong MC. Health Benefits of Social Participation Interventions among Community-Dwelling Older Persons: A Review Article. Exp Aging Res 2021; 48:234-260. [PMID: 34229584 DOI: 10.1080/0361073x.2021.1939563] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Social disengagement among older persons may result from accumulated physical impact and social stressors experienced throughout life. Conversely, interventions that enhance social participation addresses social isolation with positive influences on health. This article, therefore, aimed to review the range of published studies that evaluated the health benefits of interventions on social participation among community-dwelling older persons. METHOD We conducted a search using the databases CINAHL, MEDLINE, EBSCOhost, PubMed, ProQuest, SAGE, ScienceDirect, SpringerLink, Web of Science, and Open repository/archive. RESULTS Twenty-five studies from Asia, Europe and America were selected. Included articles described randomized controlled trials (9), quasi-experimental studies (9), mixed-methods studies (2), participatory action research (3), and community-based intervention research (2). Social interventions described are group or cultural activities, personal/group monitoring and discussion, and communications devices. Intervention designed utilized theories, models, concepts, principles, and evidence from published literature. CONCLUSION Most social intervention studies evaluating health outcomes have been conducted in North America and Western Europe. Group-based activities were most commonly employed, but personal/group discussions, home visits and technology-based interactions have also been used. While social isolation is now a widely accepted risk factor for ill-health, research evidence for improvement of health through reduction of social isolation remains limited.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amirah Fatin Ibrahim
- Ageing and Age-Associated Disorders Research Group, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.,Kulliyyah (Faculty) of Nursing, International Islamic University of Malaysia, Pahang, Malaysia
| | - Maw Pin Tan
- Ageing and Age-Associated Disorders Research Group, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.,Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Gaik Kin Teoh
- Ageing and Age-Associated Disorders Research Group, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.,Department of Psychology, School of Medicine, International Medical University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Siti Mariam Muda
- Kulliyyah (Faculty) of Nursing, International Islamic University of Malaysia, Pahang, Malaysia
| | - Mei Chan Chong
- Ageing and Age-Associated Disorders Research Group, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.,Department of Nursing Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
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Valuing Physical and Social Output: A Rapid Assessment of a London Community Garden. SUSTAINABILITY 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/su12135452] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The value of urban farms and gardens in terms of their potential for supplying a healthy diet to local residents is well known. However, the prime objective of these spaces often differs from one of food production with this being the means by which other outputs are achieved. Valuing these spaces that provide diverse benefits is therefore a complex exercise as any measure needs to incorporate their physical as well as their social outputs. Only through such an integrated approach is the true value of these gardens revealed and the scale of their potential for contributing to health agendas made apparent. Social return on investment studies can be heavily resource dependent and the rapid cost benefit approach advanced here suggests that with limited expertise and minimal invasion of volunteer and beneficiary time and space, a public value return on investment ratio can be estimated relatively rapidly using an ‘off the shelf’ tool. For the food growing area of a London community garden, a return on investment of £3 for every £1 invested is calculated. This demonstrates the contribution that community gardens can make to social wellbeing within cities and justifies a call for further recognition of these spaces in urban planning policy.
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Mmako NJ, Capetola T, Henderson-Wilson C. Sowing social inclusion for marginalised residents of a social housing development through a community garden. Health Promot J Austr 2018; 30:350-358. [PMID: 30536663 DOI: 10.1002/hpja.225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2018] [Accepted: 12/02/2018] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
ISSUE ADDRESSED In addition to food, physical activity, mental health and environmental benefits, community gardens (CGs) provide opportunities for social inclusion and increased social capital. These are particularly important to the socially isolated residents of social housing developments (SHDs). This scoping study explored the feasibility of a CG program for tenants of SHD in inner eastern Melbourne by assessing their interest in, and requirements for, inclusively designed CGs. METHODS In this phenomenological enquiry, focus group discussions, supported by photo-elicitation, were employed. Three focus groups (N = 19) were conducted with self-selected participants who consented to participate. Two focus groups were conducted with English-speaking tenants while a third focus group was conducted with Mandarin-speaking tenants. RESULTS There was a demand for CGs by the English-speaking participants driven by desire for networking, social connectedness and inclusion; for improved access to fresh produce, connection with nature, physical activity and mental well-being. Participants expressed interest in a garden located near their SHD with supportive physical and social environments including disability access, plot autonomy, fencing, socio-cultural events, training programs and management opportunities. However, the Mandarin-speaking tenants maintained that age, language difficulty and neighbourhood insecurity posed significant barriers to their participation. CONCLUSION Guided by the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion, social inclusion and community development theories, the study recommends that to establish socially inclusive CGs, a dynamic relationship of the design principles of a CG and the socio-ecological determinants of health should be established to address any barriers and successfully facilitate engagement. In addition, CG programs need to be guided by community development principles. Future research could employ community-based participatory research models in the implementation and evaluation of a CG program for socially isolated population groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nkolika J Mmako
- School of Health and Social Development, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Geelong, Vic., Australia
| | - Teresa Capetola
- School of Health and Social Development, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Geelong, Vic., Australia
| | - Claire Henderson-Wilson
- School of Health and Social Development, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Geelong, Vic., Australia
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The Role of Urban Agriculture as a Nature-Based Solution: A Review for Developing a Systemic Assessment Framework. SUSTAINABILITY 2018. [DOI: 10.3390/su10061937] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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Beech R, Murray M. Social engagement and healthy ageing in disadvantaged communities. QUALITY IN AGEING AND OLDER ADULTS 2013. [DOI: 10.1108/14717791311311076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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