Gardening/Yard Work and Depressive Symptoms in African Americans.

Background: The purpose of this study was to examine the frequency of gardening/yard work in relation to depressive symptoms in African-Americans while controlling for biological and social factors.

Methods: A secondary analysis was performed on the National Survey of American Life (n=2,903) using logistic regression for complex samples. Gardening/Yard work was measured by self-reported frequency. Depressive symptoms were measured with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale.

Results: Biological and social factors, not gardening/yard work, were associated with depressive symptoms.

Conclusions: Biological and social factors may need to be addressed before the association between gardening/yard work and depressive symptoms can be determined.