Graduation Term

2017

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Department of Family and Consumer Sciences

Committee Chair

Julie M. Schumacher

Abstract

Community garden interventions provide policy, system and environmental change at the community level to establish health behaviors, which act in contest to obesity risk factors. Limited research examines factors, which influence the sustainability of community garden interventions. Therefore, in this study, a sample of 10 Midwestern community gardens associated through funding from a health promotion organization in 2013, collected data through the interviewing and surveying of 10 garden administrators and surveying of 12 garden volunteers. The study identified garden benefits perceived by garden administrators and volunteers to include contributions to social justice, continued education, enhanced social cohesion, increased access to food, community outreach publicity, improved environment aesthetics, increased physical activity and psychological stress relief. The study found none of the interviewed garden administrators had specific plans or models in place related to intervention sustainability. However, garden administrators identified factors, which increased stress to garden interventions, including the unavailability of resource needs: land access, fiscal funding, leadership and volunteer labor forces; as well as the occurrence of unexpected barriers, which increased the strain on resources. Researchers concluded health promotion organizations might facilitate access to needed resources and provide training for intervention sustainability planning.

Access Type

Thesis-Open Access

DOI

http://doi.org/10.30707/ETD2017.Buenemann.R

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