Wellness Garden 2012

Wellness Garden 2012

Program Evaluation

Wellness Garden 2012

2012 was the second season for the garden 30 garden plots total (all 4’ x 8’)

– 27 for use by individuals/households– 3 reserved for LGM program use

All participants are EBNHC patients– Majority have at least one child in LGM (18 of 28)

One-time payment of $20, scholarships available– Includes all seeds, supplies, gardening workshops, etc

Part 1 – Gardener Demographics

Residence

City of Residence

0

5

10

15

20

25

East Boston Chelsea Everett

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Household Characteristics

Household Size

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Persons in household

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Children in Household

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

0 1 2 3 4 5

# of children <18yrs old

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Child in LGM?

Yes

No

Household Receives WIC

Yes

No64%

36% 32%

68%

18 of 28 gardeners had at least one child actively participating in LGM

9 of 28 gardeners reported current participation in WIC

Previous Experience

Returning from 2011

Yes

No

Prior Gardening Experience

Yes

No54%46%

86%

14%

15 of 28 gardeners were returning from the 2011 season

24 of 28 gardeners reported some prior gardening experience

How did you hear about the garden?

Let’s Get Movin’ 46% Word of Mouth 15% EBNHC 12% WIC 8% Other 19%

– Walked by garden, online, community event, Harborside community center, work (one each)

Post-season survey

Sent to all participants in January 2013 Follow up phone calls 2+ weeks after

sending Incentive – 25$ gift card drawing 22/28 participants responded (79%)

Survey Respondents – Sex and Age

77%

23%

Survey Respondents - Origin

3

4

2

El Salvador: 9 Guatemala: 2 Honduras: 1

Cape Verde: 1

EthnicityHispanic/Latino: 86%Not Hispanic/Latino: 14%

Primary LanguageSpanish: 73%English: 18%Brazilian Portuguese: 9%Cape Verdean: 5%

Survey Respondents - Benefits

50% 50% 45% 55%

Survey Respondents – Family Income

<100% FPG: 55% <150% FPG: 85%<200% FPG: 85%

Survey Respondents - Employment

Survey Respondents - Education

Part 2 – Effects on Nutrition

Eating Patterns: Pre-season survey

How many times do you eat out per week?

Eating Out

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

<1 1 2 3 4 5

# of times per week

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How many times per week do you eat a pre-packaged/ frozen meal?

Frozen Food

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

<1 1 2 3 4 5 >5

# of times per week

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How many times per week do you eat a meal prepared at home?

Eating Meals Prepared at Home

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

1 2 3 4 5 >5

# of times per week

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How many servings of fruits and vegetables do you eat per day?

Daily Servings of F&V

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1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

1 2 3 4 5 >5

Servings per Day

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Median = 4 servings/day


Servings of F&V Per Day - Garden Participants

5 or more

<5

33%

67%

Servings of F&V Per Day - East Boston

5 or more

<5

22%

78%

Servings of F&V Per Day - City of Boston

5 or more

<5

28%

72%

DATA SOURCE: Boston Behavioral Risk Factor Survey 2008, Boston Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BBRFSS), Boston Public Health Commission


Would you eat more fruits and vegetables if they were more affordable?

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Yes No

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Eating Patterns: Follow-up Survey

During the gardening season, did the amount of fruits and vegetables consumed by your family increase, decrease or stay the same?


During the gardening season, did the amount of money that you spent on food for your family increase, decrease or stay the same?


During the gardening season, how many days per week did you and your family eat produce that you grew in your garden?

Mean = 4.6 days/wk


What did you grow in your garden?

Tomatoes: 20Peppers/chilis: 14Herbs: 12 (cilantro, basil, yerba buena, yerba mora, mint, oregano, chipitin, papalo)

Cucumbers: 11Carrots: 8Radishes: 6Eggplant: 5Strawberry: 5Lettuce: 4Tomatillos/Green tomatoes: 4Corn: 4


What did you grow in your garden?

Beans (legumes): 4Beans (green/string): 3Squash/pumpkin: 3Chard: 2Other: Broccoli, beets, peas, celery, cabbage, melon, zucchini, cauliflower, okra, fennel, collage, pipian, taioba, flowers (1 each)

*** The average participant grew 6.2 different types of plants***

Part 3 – Gardener Experience and Satisfaction

Expectations

How many days per week and minutes per day do you expect to come to the garden?

Expected Days per Week

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2

4

6

8

10

1 2 3 4 5 >5

Days/Week

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Expected Minutes per Day

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5

10

15

20

15-30 30-60 >60

Minutes/Day#

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Expected Benefits

1) Reduce food costs 82%

2) Spend more time outside 79%

3) Exercise 75%

4) Improve your diet 71%

5) Eat less fast food 71%

6) Relaxation 71%

7) Educate my children 71%

Expected Benefits, Continued

8) Grow plants 68%

9) Build relationships/meet people 57%

10) Grow food from your culture 54%

11) Cook more meals at home 50%

Follow-up Survey – Time in Garden

Expected Days per Week

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2

4

6

8

10

1 2 3 4 5 >5

Days/Week

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Expected Minutes per Day

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5

10

15

20

15-30 30-60 >60

Minutes/Day

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Follow-up Survey – Time in Garden

Mean = 3.9

Mean = 3.4

Mean = 41

Mean = 44

Follow-up Survey – Actual Benefits


1) Build relationships/meet people 100%

1) Grow plants 100%

4) Relax 96%

5) Improve my diet 86%

6) Exercise 82%


6) Reduce food costs 82%

Follow-up Survey – Actual Benefits

9) Eat less fast food 73%

10) Cook more at home 64%

11) Grow food from your culture 64%

12) Other 36%- Smell the freshness of the wet earth- Feel a little more like I'm in my country

- Bring my children to enjoy nature

- Be in the fresh air with my children

- Spend free time with my children

- Spend more time as a family

- See my family eating healthy

Follow-up Survey – Primary benefit

1) Improve my diet 19%


3) Grow plants 14%


4) Grow food from my culture 5%

4) Exercise 5%

5) Other 32%- Bring my children to enjoy nature, be in the fresh air with my children, feel a little more in my country, eat organic

vegetables, that my children eat more soup with red tomatoes, see my family eating healthier, spend free time with my children

Follow-up Survey – Problems/Challenges

1) Theft

- 5 gardeners complained of having crops stolen (mostly cucumbers and chilis)

2) Respect for the garden“It made me sad to see some abandoned gardens”

“People would leave stuff and trash around”

“The respect for the gardens and the obligation to keep them clean and care for the tools”

“I would like it if we all put away the tools that we took out”

“More specific rules so that people maintain their plots better”

Follow-up Survey – Problems/Challenges

3) Seed availability - A minority of gardeners spent their own money

on seeds (5/22)

- Most spent $10-20

Part 4 – Planning for the Future

Do you plan to return to the garden for the 2013 growing season?


What types of seeds would you like to have available this coming year?

- Tomatoes 6)- Cucumbers (5)- Herbs (cilantro, oregano, yerba mora, yerba buena, chipitin)- Peppers/chilis (4)- Corn (2)- Beans/legumes (2)- Lettuce (2)- Eggplant, string/green beans, spinach, radishes, carrots,

strawberries, onion, garlic, turnip, mustard, taioba, flowers (1 each)


What workshop topics would interest you this year?

- Watering practices- Greenhouse practices- More about harvesting- Recycling- Flowers- Pest control- Cooking

- Projects with children- Learn from other gardeners who know more


What suggestions do you have for improving the garden experience?

- More space (4)

- More specific rules that people maintain their plots better

- That people don't leave things around the garden - spaces got tight and it was difficult to walk in common areas

- Another trash receptacle or something. The only receptacle got full; maybe at the other end of the garden

- Organize little groups of 3 or 4 gardeners so that they can help each other and all the gardens will be well maintained

Data Collection

- New survey questions incorporated into 2013 application

- Will quantify F&V servings both for applicant and for children

- Will quantify current household food expenditures

- Questions will be repeated at end of growing season

Wellness Garden 2012

Documents

Transcript of Wellness Garden 2012