Urban Care Farming on Living Well and Productive Engagement of Older Adults

The goal of the randomized controlled trials is to learn about the effects of urban farming interventions on older adults' physical, mental, and social well-being of older adults aged 50 and above. The main questions the study aims to answer are Q1. Would participants who have undergone the urban care farming intervention have lower stress levels compared to those who did not undergo the intervention? Q2. Would the quality of life and biopsychosocial factors of older adults who participate in the urban farming interventions be better before the intervention and compared to those who did not participate? Q3. Would running intervention programs as such demonstrate cost-effectiveness? Participants will be enrolled in 24 weekly lessons providing hands-on urban farming techniques, including physical activity, planting, and social interactions. Researchers will compare older participants with similar demographic profile to determine if the biological, psychological, and social factors are better for the intervention group.

The data collection consists of three sessions, before and after the 24-week intervention program, and 6 months post-intervention. Prior to the data collection, participants will be assessed for eligibility criteria and explained the detailed study procedures by trained research staff for informed consent. After completing the written informed consent, participants will be interviewed using detailed questionnaires relating to their health, nutrition, and dietary status, psychosocial measures, and undergo a series of physical examinations. These examinations include physical performance tests of mobility and gait, balance and strength, body measurements of weight, height, body mass index (BMI), waist-hip circumference, mid-upper-arm and calf circumference, blood pressure, and blood tests that will examine participants' clinical profile, biomarkers, and immunoassays. Participants will also be given Fitbit trackers to determine if they have improved their physical activity. Last, data collected will also include Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), a non-invasive procedure to determine the oxygenation levels of participants at rest and while doing some thinking activities. This data collection procedure will be conducted at baseline before the intervention and after the completion of the intervention.

The intervention will include a weekly, 24-week urban farming program. Each weekly session is where participants will engage in outdoor and indoor horticultural activities ranging from fertilization, sowing, and watering, to transplanting, maintaining, and harvesting vegetables and herbs.

Eligibility Criteria:
Inclusion Criteria:

* Aged between 50 and 80
* Reside in Singapore
* Willing to take part in the intervention
* Agree for their data to be used for research purposes
* Ambulant and able to carry out some tasks independently

Exclusion Criteria:

* Not willing to participate in the data collection (participants can opt not to answer some questions in the questionnaire but have to consent to the other data collection methods, e.g., Blood taking/test)
* Refusal to give informed consent
* Unable to give consent independently
* Have a disability of the upper or lower body that limits their mobility
* Have medical conditions which in the opinion of the research/investigative team that would compromise (or interfere with) their ability to participate in the study
* Had a recent severe medical episode (e.g., heart attack)