Perceived COVID-19-related stress drives home gardening intentions and improves human health in Taiwan

Chen-Fa Wu; Li-Wei Chou; Hsi-Chih Huang; Hung-Ming Tu

doi:10.1016/j.ufug.2022.127770

Perceived COVID-19-related stress drives home gardening intentions and improves human health in Taiwan

Urban For Urban Green. 2022 Dec:78:127770. doi: 10.1016/j.ufug.2022.127770. Epub 2022 Oct 25.

Authors

Chen-Fa Wu^{1

2}, Li-Wei Chou^{3

4

5}, Hsi-Chih Huang¹, Hung-Ming Tu¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Horticulture, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung City, Taiwan.
² Innovation and Development Center of Sustainable Agriculture from the Featured Areas Research Center Program within the framework of the Higher Education Sprout Project by the Ministry of Education in Taiwan, Taiwan.
³ Department of Physical Therapy and Graduate Institute of Rehabilitation Science, China Medical University, 406040 Taichung, Taiwan.
⁴ Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Asia University Hospital, Asia University, 413505 Taichung, Taiwan.
⁵ Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, China Medical University Hospital, 404332 Taichung, Taiwan.

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has added a layer of mental health problems and perceived stress. Home gardening is considered a good method to reduce perceived stress. The current research evidence is insufficient to understand the relationship and influencing factors between the intentions, behaviors, and benefits of home gardening during short-term COVID-19 events. Although the duration from the onset to stabilization of the outbreak lasted for only 1.5 months from May to June 2021 throughout Taiwan, the significant pandemic changes might have affected the perceived stress along with the intentions, behaviors, and benefits of home gardening. This study explored the relationship between pandemic stress and home gardening through online snowball sampling because of the strict social distancing regulations. A total of 1455 non-follow-up and internet questionnaires throughout Taiwan were collected during the wave onset, peak, easing, and stabilization stages. The questionnaire included questions on personal information, perceived pandemic stress, gardening intentions, gardening behaviors, and gardening benefits. This study showed that perceived stress increased from the pandemic onset to its peak, and decreased from the peak to stabilization stages. Home gardening intentions and behaviors also revealed similar trends. Higher pandemic-perceived stress directly increased home-gardening intentions and indirectly promoted home-gardening behaviors and benefits. Our findings indicated that home gardening is a positive element in reducing perceived stress. Lower gardening intentions and behaviors were observed when the high perceived stress was removed. This study suggests that home gardening was a valuable strategy for staying close to nature and obtaining multiple benefits during the peak pandemic period. Providing small-scale gardening activities and spaces is appropriate for obtaining gardening benefits and avoiding space abandonment after the pandemic. Providing seeds, seedlings, tools, knowledge, online home gardening programs, and small residential and food gardens is a valuable strategy for obtaining multiple benefits during the peak of the pandemic.

Keywords: COVID-19; Home gardening; Perceived stress.