Group Gardening in a Native American Community: A Collaborative Approach

Area of Science:

• Community-based participatory research
• Social-ecological model
• Indigenous health

Background:

• Growing interest in gardening for health benefits.
• Lack of community-based participatory research on Native American reservations regarding group gardening.
• Need to understand social-ecological factors influencing community gardens and local food use in these communities.

Purpose of the Study:

• Identify social-ecological influences on community gardens and local food use on a Native American reservation.
• Assess the feasibility of a group gardening program for Native American adults.
• Evaluate the potential for collecting health outcome measures in this population.

Main Methods:

• Collaborative approach involving community members and academicians.
• Stakeholder interviews to identify facilitators and barriers to community gardens and local food consumption.
• Feasibility study assessing physical and psychological well-being of Native American adults in a group gardening program.

Main Results:

• Key influences identified: knowledge, self-efficacy, Elders, traditional practices, community values, generational dynamics, and tribal policies.
• Twenty Native American adults with prediabetes or diabetes participated in the feasibility study.
• Group gardening participants showed consistent positive changes in mood states compared to a control group.

Conclusions:

• Identified critical factors for promoting locally grown food and community gardens.
• Provided insights into effective approaches for implementing group gardening programs for Native American adults.
• Highlighted the positive impact of group gardening on psychological well-being.