Gardening for Health for Cancer Survivors (G4H-CS)

Gardening for Health for Cancer Survivors (G4H-CS)

This study is testing whether a gardening and nutrition program can improve well-being in people who have had cancer. Many cancer survivors continue to experience challenges after treatment, including changes in appetite, nutrition, stress, and quality of life. Programs that combine healthy eating, physical activity, and social connection may help address these issues.

In this study, participants will take part in a 6-week, in-person program called Gardening for Health. The program includes weekly group sessions held at a garden at the University of Vermont Medical Center. Each session lasts about two hours and includes hands-on gardening activities, nutrition education, cooking demonstrations, and guided wellness practices such as mindfulness and light movement. Participants will also receive educational materials to support healthy eating and gardening at home.

The main goal of the study is to determine whether this program is feasible and acceptable for cancer survivors, meaning whether people are willing to participate, attend sessions, and find the program helpful and satisfying. The study will also explore whether participation is associated with improvements in quality of life, stress, sense of belonging, and nutrition-related behaviours.

Participants will complete questionnaires before starting the program and again after the 6-week program ends. These surveys will ask about overall health, stress levels, social connection, and lifestyle habits.

The researchers hypothesize that participation in the Gardening for Health program will be feasible and well-received by cancer survivors, and that it may lead to improvements in quality of life, reduced stress, and increased feelings of connection and well-being.

This is a single-group study, all participants receive the intervention and there is no comparison group. The results will help determine whether this type of program should be studied further in larger trials.

Study Overview

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Conditions: Quality of Life; Lifestyle Intervention
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Gardening and Nutrition Intervention

Detailed Description

This is a prospective, single-center, single-arm feasibility study designed to evaluate a structured gardening and nutrition-based intervention, among adult cancer survivors. The study will enroll approximately 15 participants at the University of Vermont Cancer Center.

Cancer survivors frequently experience persistent challenges following treatment, including nutritional deficits, altered taste and appetite, reduced physical activity, psychosocial stress, and decreased quality of life. Prior research has demonstrated that multi-component lifestyle interventions, may improve dietary intake, physical functioning, and psychosocial outcomes. Building on this evidence and prior pilot work conducted at the University of Vermont Medical Center, this study evaluates an adapted, short-duration gardening and nutrition intervention tailored specifically for cancer survivors.

The intervention consists of six weekly, in-person sessions delivered over approximately six weeks in a rooftop garden setting. Each session is approximately two hours in duration and is led by a multidisciplinary team. The intervention integrates hands-on gardening activities, nutrition education, culinary instruction, and experiential components such as mindfulness, light physical activity, and nature-based engagement.

The primary objective is to evaluate feasibility and acceptability of the intervention, assessed through recruitment, retention, attendance, and participant satisfaction. Secondary objectives include assessing pre- to post-intervention changes in psychosocial outcomes, including health-related quality of life, perceived stress, and sense of belonging, as well as exploratory changes in nutrition-related knowledge and behaviors.

Participants will complete self-report assessments at baseline (prior to intervention initiation) and immediately following completion of the intervention. Qualitative feedback collected through post-intervention surveys will be analyzed to characterize participant experience and perceived impact.

This study is not powered to detect statistically significant differences in outcomes but is intended to generate preliminary data on feasibility, acceptability, and potential signals of efficacy to inform the design of future controlled trials.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 15
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Randall F Holcombe, MD; Phone Number: 1 (802) 656-2021; Email: Randall.holcombe@med.uvm.edu

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age 18 years or older
• Self-reported current or prior diagnosis of cancer
• Self-identifies as a cancer survivor
• Ability to read, write, and speak English

Exclusion Criteria:

• Currently significantly immunosuppressed

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Intervention / Treatment

Experimental: Gardening and Nutrition Intervention for Cancer Survivors; Participants will receive a six-week, in-person gardening and nutrition-based intervention delivered at the University of Vermont Medical Center rooftop garden. The program consists of six weekly sessions, each approximately two hours in duration, led by a multidisciplinary team. Participants will also receive educational materials to support gardening and healthy eating. Outcomes will be assessed using self-report questionnaires administered at baseline prior to the intervention and immediately following completion of the program.

Behavioral: Gardening and Nutrition Intervention; The intervention is a structured, six-week, in-person gardening and nutrition-based program delivered at the University of Vermont Medical Center rooftop garden. Participants will attend one session per week, each approximately two hours in duration, for a total of six sessions. The program is led by a multidisciplinary team. Each session integrates hands-on gardening activities (e.g., planting, garden maintenance, harvesting), nutrition education (e.g., dietary fiber, hydration, anti-inflammatory foods), and culinary instruction focused on preparing healthy meals. The program also incorporates experiential components such as mindfulness practices, light physical activity, and engagement with natural outdoor environments. Participants will receive educational materials, including a gardening and nutrition curriculum packet, to support continued application of skills outside of the sessions.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Acceptability of the Gardening and Nutrition Intervention	Acceptability will be assessed using a post-intervention participant satisfaction survey. Measures will include participant-reported satisfaction with the program, perceived usefulness of the intervention components, and willingness to recommend the program to others. Responses will be summarized descriptively to evaluate overall participant satisfaction and perceived value of the intervention. Responses will be scored on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree).	At 6 weeks (post-intervention)
Recruitment Rate	Recruitment rate will be defined as the number of participants enrolled divided by the number of eligible participants who expressed interest in the study during the recruitment period. Unit of Measure: Percentage (%) Time Frame: During study enrollment period (up to 6 weeks)	At 6 weeks (post-intervention)
Retention Rate	Retention rate will be defined as the proportion of enrolled participants who complete the full intervention and post-intervention assessments (T2). Unit of Measure: Percentage (%)	At 6 weeks (post-intervention)
Session Attendance	Session attendance will be defined as the number of intervention sessions attended by each participant out of 6 total sessions. Attendance will be summarized as both the mean number of sessions attended and the proportion of sessions attended. Unit of Measure: Number of sessions (0-6) and Percentage (%)	During the 6-week intervention period
Assessment Completion Rate	Assessment completion will be defined as the proportion of participants who complete all required baseline (T1) and post-intervention (T2) questionnaires. Unit of Measure: Percentage (%)	At 6 weeks (post-intervention)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in Health-Related Quality of Life (SF-36)	Health-related quality of life will be assessed using the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36). The SF-36 evaluates eight domains, including physical functioning, role limitations, emotional well-being, social functioning, pain, energy, and general health. Scores will be calculated according to standard scoring procedures, and changes from baseline to post-intervention will be analyzed. Each domain score is transformed to a 0 to 100 scale, with higher scores indicating better health-related quality of life. The outcome will be defined as the change in SF-36 domain scores from baseline (T1) to post-intervention (T2).	Baseline to 6 weeks
Change in Perceived Stress (Perceived Stress Scale)	Perceived stress will be assessed using the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). The PSS measures the degree to which situations in one's life are perceived as stressful over the past month. The PSS includes 10 items rated on a Likert scale from 0 (never) to 4 (very often), with total scores ranging from 0 to 40. Total scores will be calculated, and changes from baseline to post-intervention will be evaluated. Higher scores indicate greater perceived stress (worse outcome). The outcome will be defined as the change in total PSS score from baseline (T1) to post-intervention (T2).	Baseline to 6 weeks
Change in Sense of Belonging (General Belongingness Scale)	Sense of belonging will be assessed using the General Belongingness Scale (GBS), which measures feelings of social inclusion and rejection. The GBS consists of 12 items rated on a Likert scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree), with total scores ranging from 12 to 84. Total and subscale scores will be calculated, and changes from baseline to post-intervention will be analyzed. Higher scores indicate greater sense of belonging (better outcome).	Baseline to 6 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Vermont Medical Center

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): July 1, 2028
• Primary Completion (Estimated): July 1, 2042
• Study Completion (Estimated): July 1, 2042

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 22, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 29, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): May 4, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): May 4, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 29, 2026
• Last Verified: April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Cancer Survivors; Horticultural Therapy; Gardening Therapy
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Therapeutics; Technology, Industry, and Agriculture; Nutrition Therapy; Horticulture; Agriculture; Diet Therapy; Gardening
• Other Study ID Numbers: STUDY00004151/UVMCC2602

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No