Centre for Socio-Economic Research on Ageing, IRCCS-INRCA - National Institute of Health & Science on Ageing, Ancona, Italy.
Laboratory of Geriatric Pharmacoepidemiology, IRCCS-INRCA - National Institute of Health & Science on Ageing, Ancona, Italy.
Health Soc Care Community. 2019 Jan;27(1):207-214. doi: 10.1111/hsc.12641. Epub 2018 Aug 29.
The aim of this study was to evaluate a 1-year social farming programme conducted between 2014 and 2015, including horticultural and occupational activities on six agricultural farms for older people in good general health. Social farming is a practice that uses agricultural resources to provide health, social or educational services to vulnerable groups of people. Activity participation, social relationships, physical activity, and the quality of life of the participants were assessed using a pretest, posttest design. A total of 112 subjects were interviewed at baseline, though only 73 participants were retained through the end of the follow-up, resulting in a dropout rate of 34%. Data analysis revealed significant improvements in both social relationships and overall occupational engagement at the end of the programme, with significant increases in the frequency of contact with friends or relatives as well as the number of activities performed by the participants. This work adds to the literature on the effects of social farming and indicates that farming may provide opportunities for older people to engage in activities that stimulate social behaviours.
本研究旨在评估一项于 2014 年至 2015 年间开展的为期一年的社会农业项目，该项目包括在六家农业农场为身体状况良好的老年人开展园艺和职业活动。社会农业是一种利用农业资源为弱势群体提供健康、社会或教育服务的实践。采用前后测设计评估参与者的活动参与度、社交关系、身体活动和生活质量。在基线时，共有 112 名受试者接受了访谈，但只有 73 名参与者完成了随访，因此流失率为 34%。数据分析显示，在项目结束时，社交关系和整体职业参与度均有显著改善，与朋友或亲戚的接触频率以及参与者参与的活动数量均显著增加。这项工作增加了关于社会农业影响的文献，并表明农业可能为老年人提供参与刺激社交行为的活动的机会。
