This poster describes the work our summer 2015 intern, Ady Melendez, a college senior from Mexico, helped us with while she was here. This poster was used at the conference to display the research of the summer interns. We are continuing to look at the relationship between gardening and physical activity, especially in children.

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INTRODUCTION
OBJECTIVE
METHODS
RESULTS
Figure 3. Student Working on Bell Pepper
Field of Tucson Village Farm
CONCLUSIONS AND DISCUSION
To explore whether gardening is a viable way to increase
physical activity, helping children and adults reduce
sedentary behaviors.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez.
Tucson Village Farm, the Pima County Cooperative Extension, the University of Arizona
1. World Health Organization (2015) Obesity and over weight. Available at:
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs311/en/
2. Park, S. (2007). Introduction. In Gardening as a Physical Activity for
Health in Older Adults. (1st ed., Vol. 1). Manhattan, Kansas: Kansas State
University.
3. Bertoldo Benedetti, T., Justino Borges, L., Luiz Petroski, E., & Hisako
Takase Gonçalves, L. (2008). Physical activity and mental health status
among elderly people. Rev. Saúde Pública.
4. Fitbit Inc. "How Does My Tracker Count Steps?" Fitbit Help. Fitbit Inc., 1
Aug. 2014. Web. 1 July 2015.
• The obesity is a disease recognized as a global
epidemic by the World Health Organization (WHO)
that involves a high cost for the individual, society and
health systems. [1]
• On the other hand, most adults and children do not
meet the guidelines for regular physical activity.
• For these reasons, it necessitates the creation of
innovative and creative programs that encourage
physical activity beyond clinical interventions.
• Gardening is a common leisure time physical activity
that is considered to be aerobic and muscle-
strengthening activities.
1. Gardening is not just involved a wide variety of
movements, but also promotes moderate-intensity
physical activity.
2. The results of this study show insight into the potential
of gardening for promoting physical activity in children
and adults.
3. Limitation: There were some gardening activities that
were not detected by Fitbit, triaxial accelerometer,
activity monitor.
4. This project will be continued to collect energy
expenditure data with various body positioning (sitting,
standing, etc) and resistance-type activity during
gardening.
1. Review on literature of Activity Quantity on
Gardening
- Gardening is a moderate intensity activity.[2]
- Gardening is related to improvement of physical
and psychosocial health.[1]
2. Searching University of Arizona Extension
Program
- Tucson Village Farm was selected for its program
designed, convenient location, educational
compromise and openness to volunteering.
3. Measure of Physical Activity Intensities (See Fig.1)
- Several students participated on gardening tasks
while they were wearing Fitbit Ultra (Fitbit Inc, San
Francisco, California).
- Fitbit tracks the movements of the body and gives
validated physical activity measurements.
- The data was analyzed and interpreted.
REFERENCES
Figure 1. Process of Measure of Physical Activity Intensities
Source: Meléndez Molina, A
Figure 2. Measurements of Gardening
According to the monitored data, gardening can be classified as
moderate-intensity physical activity
Study subject Date Kcal per hour
Female, 21 years old (a) July 21 244
Female, 21 years old (a) July 23 155
Female, 21 years old (a) July 27 203
Female, 22 years old (b) July 27 516
Female, 21 years old (a) July 28 256
Average estimated Kcal/hour during gardening tasks 275
Table 1. Estimated Calories Expended during Gardening
Fitbit – Ultra
Clipped to
the user’s
belt
Based on proprietary algorithms,
the device estimates numbers of
steps taken, stairs climbed, distance
walked, and calories burned.