At the start of this year, we launched Cultivating Wellbeing after identifying an opportunity to support more people to use gardening for their health through the development of an innovative digital app.
The Cultivating Wellbeing app enables individuals to manage their own health through gardening by creating a personalised nature-based wellbeing plan connected to their own goals, available space, time and activity preferences.
The Green Exercise team at the University of Essex has now completed their evaluation report of the impact of the app on health outcomes, experiences, behaviours, and attitudes towards gardening, nature and self-care.
After 12 weeks of usage, research showed Cultivating Wellbeing had positively affected participants’ wellbeing with a number saying they now actively use gardening to manage their mental health. Participants felt that the app had encouraged them to spend more time outdoors in nature and gardening, which directly benefitted their wellbeing and improved their life satisfaction.
Through the app participants were able to incorporate gardening and time in nature into their routines and enhance their confidence and passion for gardening. They visited a wider range of green and natural spaces and the number of people visiting an “allotment, community garden or own garden” nearly doubled. The app was described as a companion that walked you through activities while others said that it increased their gardening skills and knowledge, making it more accessible and enjoyable.
After 12 weeks of using Cultivating Wellbeing participants reported a:
By tracking their mood and journal thoughts, one user could see the beneficial effects of gardening. She said,
I can see how my mood changes and how the garden’s helped me.
Cultivating Wellbeing is part of our nationwide gardening information and advice service, along with Get Gardening, and particularly supports those who could use more motivation and support to garden, or individuals coming off gardening programmes who could self-manage at home. Users describe the app as helpful, calming, engaging, creative, informative, easy to use, relevant, and encouraging.
Cultivating Wellbeing has been independently validated to meet the essential standards for safety, privacy, and usability in digital health, achieving an ORCHA Assured Bronze certification. ORCHA Assured is a trusted quality mark for digital health, giving healthcare professionals and patients confidence in the tools they use.
Download Cultivating Wellbeing and start gardening your way to better health today.
