Adaptation and study protocol for harvest for health together Arizona: A mentored community garden intervention for survivors of cancer

Meghan B Skiba; Dylan Miller; Delaney B Stratton; Caitlyn A Hall; Sharon McKenna; Cindy K Blair; Wendy Demark-Wahnefried

doi:10.1016/j.conctc.2024.101290

Adaptation and study protocol for harvest for health together Arizona: A mentored community garden intervention for survivors of cancer

Contemp Clin Trials Commun. 2024 Mar 28:39:101290. doi: 10.1016/j.conctc.2024.101290. eCollection 2024 Jun.

Authors

Meghan B Skiba^{1

2}, Dylan Miller^{2

3}, Delaney B Stratton^{2

4}, Caitlyn A Hall^{5

6}, Sharon McKenna⁷, Cindy K Blair^{8

9}, Wendy Demark-Wahnefried^{10

11}

Affiliations

¹ Advanced Nursing Practice and Science Division, College of Nursing, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA.
² University of Arizona Cancer Center, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA.
³ Department of Epidemiology, Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA.
⁴ Dermatology, Banner University Health, Tucson, AZ, USA.
⁵ W.A. Franke Honors College, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA.
⁶ Department of Biosystems Engineering, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA.
⁷ Melanoma Task Force, Arizona Department of Health Services, Phoenix, AZ, USA.
⁸ Department of Internal Medicine, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA.
⁹ University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center, Albuquerque, NM, USA.
¹⁰ Department of Nutrition Sciences, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.
¹¹ O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.

Abstract

Background: Current health behavior recommendations for skin cancer prevention, treatment, and survivorship are the same for survivors of other cancers; they include eating a healthy diet, being physically active, maintaining a healthy weight, and minimizing ultraviolet (U.V.) exposure. Few interventions exist to support health behaviors beyond U.V. exposure. We adapted Harvest for Health, a home-based mentored gardening intervention for cancer survivors, for implementation in Arizona as a community-based intervention.

Methods: Stakeholder-informed adaptations for Harvest for Health Together Arizona (H4H2-AZ) included updating intervention materials to be relevant to the arid desert environment, emphasizing the importance of sun safety in cancer survivorship, and shifting from a home-based to a community-based delivery model. Participants will be enrolled in cohorts aligned with growing seasons (e.g., spring, monsoon, fall) and matched to an individual 30 ft² community garden plot for two growing seasons (6 months). Original intervention components retained are: 1) Master Gardeners deliver the intervention providing one-to-one mentorship and 2) gardening materials and supplies provided. This pilot six-month single-arm intervention will determine feasibility, acceptability, and appropriateness of an evidence-based adapted mentored community gardening intervention for survivors of skin cancer as primary outcomes. Secondary outcomes are to explore the effects on cancer preventive health behaviors and health-related quality of life.

Discussion: This pilot single-arm intervention will determine feasibility, acceptability, and appropriateness of an evidence-based adapted mentored community gardening intervention for survivors of skin cancer. If successful, the intervention could be widely implemented throughout existing Master Gardener programs and community garden networks for survivors of other cancers.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT05648604. Trial registered on December 13, 2022.

Keywords: Exercise; Health-related quality of life; Implementation science; Melanoma; Skin neoplasms; Vegetables.

Associated data

ClinicalTrials.gov/NCT05648604