Effect of an after school gardening program on daily physical activity in youth

Scope and method of study. The purpose of this study was to evaluate if a gardening project increased physical activity throughout the day among children participating in an after school program. Children in third through fifth grade participating in an after school program completed an Activity Videotape questionnaire before and after starting a gardening project.; Findings and conclusions. The results of this project indicated that mean total activity scores did not significantly increase among children in third through fifth grade during compared to before the gardening project. However, the mean total minutes in non-moving activities non-significantly decreased and the mean total minutes in moving activities significantly increased during compared to before the gardening project. Future research is needed to identify viable interventions or lifestyle changes that will result in sustained increased in physical activity throughout the day in children.