17_13-122(Ki-Cheol Son).hwp

This study investigated the exercise intensity and energy expenditure involved in two gardening activities (planting transplants and sowing seeds in a garden plot) and four common physical activities (running, skipping rope, walking, and throwing a ball) in children. Eighteen children aged 11 to 13 years (mean age, 12.3 ± 0.7 years) participated in this study. The children made two visits to a high tunnel in Cheongju, Chungbuk, South Korea and performed randomly selected activities. Each activity was performed for 10 min, with a 5-min rest period between activities. The children wore a Cosmed K4b 2 (Cosmed K4b 2 ; Cosmed, Rome, Italy), which is a portable calorimetric monitoring system, to measure indicators of metabolic cost such as oxygen uptake and energy expenditure. The children’s heart rates during the activities were measured by radiotelemetry (Polar T 31; FitMed, Kempele, Finland). We found that the two gardening and four physical activities performed by the 11-13 years old children in this study were moderateto high-intensity physical activities [i.e., 5.4 ± 0.7 to 9.1 ± 1.4 metabolic equivalents (METs)]. Running (9.1 ± 1.4 METs) and skipping rope (8.8 ± 1.1 METs) were high-intensity physical activities, whereas walking (6.1 ± 0.9 METs), planting transplants (5.8 ± 1.1 METs), throwing a ball (5.6 ± 1.1 METs), and sowing seeds (5.4 ± 0.7 METs) were moderate-intensity physical activities. Running and skipping rope were significantly more intense than the other activities (P < 0.0001). The gardening tasks such as planting transplants and sowing seeds in a garden plot showed similar exercise intensities and energy costs as walking and throwing a ball. This study indicates that gardening can be used as a physical activity intervention to provide health benefits similar to more common physical activities such as walking and running. Additional key words: Cosmed K4b2, energy expenditure, exercise intensity, horticultural therapy, socio-horticulture *Corresponding author: kcson@konkuk.ac. kr ※ Received 9 August 2013; Revised 17 September 2013; Accepted 1 October 2013. This paper was supported by the SMART Research Professor Program of Konkuk University. C 2014 Korean Society for Horticultural Science Introduction The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends at least 60 min of moderateto high-intensity physical activity per day on most days of the week in order to attain health benefits in children (Salmon and Shilton, 2004; Strong et al., 2005). Regular physical activity in children decreases adiposity, lowers blood pressure, improves musculoskeletal and cardiovascular health, and increases bone density (Dietz, 1998; Ekeland et al., 2005; Fraser et al., 1983; Parfitt and Eston, 2005; Strong et al., 2005). Physical activity also improves psychological health, e.g., increases self-esteem, decreases anxiety and stress, and increases feelings of wellbeing (Dietz, 1998; Horst et al., 2007; Strong et al., 2005; Wipfli et al., 2008). Moreover, participation in physical activity during childhood can not only reduce the immediate risk for conditions such as diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular diseases but also decrease the future risk for chronic diseases in adulthood (Twisk et al., 1997; Williams et al., 2002). Despite the many health benefits of physical activity, children generally maintain sedentary lifestyles with low levels of physical activity (Warren et al., 2010; WHO, 2010). This trend towards physical inactivity and sedentary lifestyles is increasing the prevalence of obesity and risk factors for chronic diseases in adulthood (Malina, 2001; Telama Kor. J. Hort. Sci. Technol. 32(1), February 2014 124 et al., 1997; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1996; Wittmeier et al., 2008). The major reasons reported for children’s avoidance of physical activity are a preference for indoor activities such as watching television and playing video and computer games, time constraints, lack of motivation, hesitation caused by perceived incompetence or lack of skill, lack of resources, and insufficient social support from parents and peers (Burdette and Whitaker, 2005; Gordon-Larsen et al., 2009; Norman et al., 2005; O’Dea, 2003; Rees et al., 2006; Spear et al., 2007; Taveras et al., 2007). Therefore, effective interventions to encourage participation in regular physical activity are required. Enjoyment and fun are especially crucial factors for maintaining motivation and interest in participation in children (Baranowski et al., 2008; Borra et al., 1995; Brown et al., 2013; Epstein et al., 2007; Mellecker and McManus, 2008). Gardening is a hands-on task at all stages, from planning the garden to planting seeds or transplants, harvesting produce, and publicizing the garden in the community (Lekies and Sheavly, 2007). Gardening exposes children to seasonal variation and the plant growth cycle (Park et al., 2008). These dynamic activities in the garden can be fun and exciting for children and thus help to maintain their motivation to participate in a gardening intervention. Moreover, plants in a garden need to be tended regularly (Park et al., 2008), which helps to promote a physically active lifestyle. In addition, school gardening with incorporation of science and math into the activities has also been used as a teaching tool for improving academic achievement (Braun et al., 1989; Kutsunai, 1994; Pigg et al., 2006). In adults and older adults, gardening tasks have been determined to be lowto high-intensity physical activities in terms of the health benefits that they provide (Park et al., 2011, 2012). Such common gardening tasks as digging, raking, planting, and harvesting were moderateto highintensity physical activities (3.5 ± 0.5 to 6.3 ± 1.2 METs) when performed by people in their 20s (Park et al., 2012) but lowto moderate-intensity physical activities (1.7 ± 0.4 to 4.5 ± 1.2 METs) when performed by older adults aged 65 years (Park et al., 2011). However, there is insufficient information to determine whether gardening is a healthpromoting physical activity, especially in children. Therefore, this study was performed to compare the exercise intensity and energy expenditure of gardening activities (planting transplants and sowing seeds) with those of common physical activities (running, skipping rope, walking, and throwing a ball) in children in order to determine whether gardening can be utilized as a health-promoting physical activity in elementary school children. Materials and Methods