1. Combined Gardening and Mindfulness Predict
Physical and Mental Quality of Life in Senior Adults Mallory G. Cases, Christopher B. Thorne, Deven M. Lackraj,
Wendy Demark-Wahnefried, & Peter S. Hendricks
BACKGROUND
FIGURES
RESULTS
Table 1. Group Physical and Mental QOL Component Score Means
The Combined group reported higher physical QOL values than either the Neither (mean difference=5.95, SE=1.27, p<.001) or Mindfulness (mean difference=2.14, SE=.56, p=.001) groups (Table 1, Figure 1)
Combined and Mindfulness groups reported higher mental QOL values than the Neither (mean difference from Combined=11.40, SE=1.35, p<.001, mean difference from Mindfulness=9.83, SE=1.30, p<.001) and Gardening (mean difference from Combined=9.01, SE=2.22, p<.001, mean difference from Mindfulness=7.45, SE=2.19, p=.004) groups (Table 1, Figure 1)
Combined group also reported significantly higher subscale scores in General Health, Social Functioning, Vitality, and Emotional Role compared to all other groups (all p-values <.05) (Figure 2)
Previous research suggests that both gardening and mindfulness interventions improve quality of life (QOL)
The aim of this study was to explore whether the combination of gardening and mindfulness is associated with higher QOL relative to gardening or mindfulness alone
Group
Physical QOL
Mental QOL
Gardening (n=25)
40.935
40.635
Mindfulness (n=1027)
40.940
48.113
Combined (n=471)
43.080
49.650
Neither (n=74)
37.130
38.283
METHODS
Figure 1. Physical and Mental QOL Component Mean Scores
Men and women aged years from the Well Elderly Study (N = 1600) were divided into four groups:
Gardening: those who reported gardening and not mindfulness
Mindfulness: those who reported mindfulness (“I had trouble keeping my mind on what I was doing some/a little of the time” or “rarely/none of the time”) and not gardening
Combined: those who reported both gardening and mindfulness
Neither: those who reported neither gardening nor mindfulness
Physical and Mental QOL Component scores, as well as subscales of the SF36 were compared amongst the four groups
CONCLUSIONS
These findings suggest a combined gardening/mindfulness intervention could improve both physical and mental QOL in senior adults
Figure 2. Physical and Mental QOL Component Mean Scores
FUNDING
National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute, Cancer Prevention and Control Training Program Grant R25 CA047888