National Health Outreach and Engagement Conference 2024

Workshops were presented to Master Gardener Volunteers, horticulture professionals, students, and the general public to teach best practices for using proper postures, techniques, and tool use in the garden to prevent injury and minimize pain.
This 1.5-hour interactive workshop covers best practices for preventing gardening-related injuries and minimizing pain by utilizing proper posture, techniques, and tool use, and incorporating stretching into the gardening routine. Participants practice three main movements that are used in common gardening tasks (e.g., pulling weeds, carrying mulch, raking, shoveling) and progressively practice them using tools. Content was compiled using evidence-based gardening, body mechanics, and injury prevention resources. The objectives of the workshop are: 1) Increase knowledge of best practices, safe movements, and stretches in gardening, 2) Increase use of proper posture, techniques, tool use and stretches while working in the garden, and 3) Decrease perceived pain level associated with gardening. The workshop was developed in the Summer of 2020 and is taught every year in late Spring/early Summer to coincide with Utah’s gardening season.  
Between 2020-2023, a total of 13 in-person and virtual workshops reached 163 participants. In the in-person workshops, coordinators supplied a variety of gardening tools for participants to practice with (e.g., rakes, shovels, trowels, carts) and outdoor garden space. Demonstration videos were created to allow for virtual instruction and practice. With instructor’s guidance, participants practiced proper techniques and postures while using tools and doing common gardening activities, such as squatting, lifting, reaching overhead, bending, carrying, and kneeling. Each session ends with a review of a sample full-body stretch routine. Modified movements and resources were included to address mobility challenges.
Retrospective pre/post surveys were developed and sent to 93 participants at one week and six months post-workshop. Sixty-six participants responded to the initial survey, yielding a 70% response rate, while 49% responded to the follow-up. The percent increase in knowledge of injury prevention concepts ranged from 21%-100%, with the largest change reported in learning best practices to follow when gardening. The percent increase in behavior adoption ranged from 54%-221%, with the largest change reported in stretching throughout their gardening session. At six months, 93% reported increased awareness of their posture and tool use, 75% reported continuing use of positive gardening behaviors; and perceived pain level on a 0-10 scale (where 0=no pain to 10=extreme pain) decreased from 4.41 to 2.87.