Exercise intensities of gardening tasks within older adult allotment gardeners in Wales

Hawkins, Jemma, Smith, Alexander, Backx, Karianne and Clayton, Debbie 2015. Exercise intensities of gardening tasks within older adult allotment gardeners in Wales. Journal of Aging and Physical Activity 23 (2) , pp. 161-168. 10.1123/japa.2013-0171

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Abstract

Previous research has suggested that gardening activity could be an effective form of regular exercise for improving physical and psychological health in later life. However, there is a lack of data regarding the exercise intensities of various gardening tasks across different types of gardening and different populations. The purpose of this study was to examine the exercise intensity of gardening activity for older adult allotment gardeners in Wales, UK following a similar procedure used in previous studies conducted in the USA and South Korea by Park and colleagues (2008a; 2011). Oxygen consumption (VO2) and energy expenditure for six gardening tasks were measured via indirect calorimetery using the portable Oxycon™ mobile device. From these measures, estimated metabolic equivalent units (METs) were calculated. Consistent with Park et al. (2008a; 2011) the six gardening tasks were classified as low to moderate-high intensity physical activities based on their metabolic values (1.9 - 5.7 METs).

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Social Sciences (Includes Criminology and Education)
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GV Recreation Leisure H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General) Q Science > QP Physiology R Medicine > RA Public aspects of medicine > RA0421 Public health. Hygiene. Preventive Medicine
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Physical activity, energy expenditure, metabolic cost, green exercise, human issues in horticulture
Additional Information:	Online publication date: 13 February 2014 Print publication date: 23 April 2015
Publisher:	Human Kinetics Journals
ISSN:	1543-267X
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	30 March 2016
Date of Acceptance:	February 2014
Last Modified:	19 Apr 2024 18:43
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/73129

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