For the study, experts from Anglia Ruskin University recruited 84 gardeners from 12 urban allotment sites in north London and gave them a series of questionnaires.
Accordingly, they found that the participants had significantly higher levels of body appreciation, body pride, and appreciation for their body’s functionality, compared to a group of 81 non-gardeners from the same area of the city.
They also reported that the longer participants spent gardening, the larger the improvement they had in positive body image when they left their allotment.
“The findings from this new study are important because they specifically show the significant benefits of spending time on allotments, which are typically quite small patches of green space in otherwise mainly urban environments,” commented Viren Swami, Professor of Social Psychology. “Ensuring that opportunities for gardening are available to all people is, therefore, vital and may help to reduce the long-term cost burden on health services.
“One way to achieve this, beyond policies that ensure access to nature for all citizens, would be through the provision of dedicated and sustained community allotment plots.” ♦
