Influence of Compost Amendments on Soil and Human Gastrointestinal Bacterial Communities during a Single Gardening Season.

To measure associations between gardening with different compost amendments and the human gut microbiota composition, gardeners (n = 25) were provided with one of three types of compost: chicken manure (CM), dairy manure and plant material (DMP), or plant-based (P). Stool samples were collected before gardening (T1), after compost amendment (T2), and at peak garden harvest (T3). Compost and soil samples were collected.

Development and evaluation of food preservation lessons for gardeners: application of the DESIGN process.

Objective: This study presents the development and evaluation of food preservation lessons for gardeners.

Design: Lessons were developed using the DESIGN process, a nutrition education program planning framework. This study examines the effectiveness of this curriculum at increasing knowledge of proper food preservation practices and increasing participants' confidence in home food preservation, identifies challenges participants experienced with home food preservation and assesses the perceived influence of home food preservation on vegetable intake and aspects of food security.

A Qualitative Examination of the Detroit Community Food Response to COVID-19.

The COVID-19 pandemic increased the need for food assistance due to surging unemployment, the closure of in-person schooling, and other factors. This posed a historic challenge to organizations that address food insecurity: meeting the surging need for food while minimizing COVID-19 transmission. This study aimed to identify how food insecurity program operations changed during the pandemic and to examine the facilitators/successes and barriers/challenges to operations.

Community Gardening Increases Vegetable Intake and Seasonal Eating From Baseline to Harvest: Results from a Mixed Methods Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Gardening has been associated with greater fruit and vegetable intake, but few randomized trials have been conducted.

Objectives: We sought: ) to determine changes in fruits and vegetable intake combined and separately from baseline (spring) to harvest time (fall), as well as from baseline to winter follow-up, and ) to identify the mediators (both quantitatively and qualitatively) between gardening and vegetable intake.

Methods: A randomized controlled trial of community gardening was conducted in Denver, Colorado, USA.

A Multi-Site Analysis of the Prevalence of Food Insecurity in the United States, before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic profoundly affected food systems including food security. Understanding how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted food security is important to provide support and identify long-term impacts and needs.

Objective: The National Food Access and COVID research Team (NFACT) was formed to assess food security over different US study sites throughout the pandemic, using common instruments and measurements.

The Relationship between Food Security Status and Fruit and Vegetable Intake during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has drastically altered food shopping behaviors, and the resulting economic recession has caused a spike in food insecurity. Since food insecurity is associated with poor diet, especially low intake of fruits and vegetables, food-insecure individuals may disproportionately experience negative health impacts related to poor diet during the pandemic. To assess the relationship between food security status and fruit and vegetable intake during the COVID-19 pandemic, we conducted an online survey of adult residents of the US state of Michigan in June of 2020.

Feasibility of collection and analysis of microbiome data in a longitudinal randomized trial of community gardening.

We explored the feasibility of collecting and analyzing human microbiome data in a longitudinal randomized controlled trial of community gardening. Participants were randomly assigned to gardening (N = 8) or control (N = 8). Participants provided stool, mouth, hand and forehead microbiome samples at six timepoints.

Amplifying Health Through Community Gardens: A Framework for Advancing Multicomponent, Behaviorally Based Neighborhood Interventions.

The article presents a framework for understanding the relationship between community garden participation, and the myriad ways gardens and participation lead to emotional, social, and health impacts. Existing empirical research relating community gardens to health behaviors, such as physical activity and diet, and longer-term chronic disease-related outcomes is summarized. The research areas discussed include the effects of community garden participation on individual, social, emotional, and environmental processes; health behaviors including diet and physical activity; and health outcomes such as self-rated health, obesity, and mental health.