SMD −0.67
horticultural activities moderately reduce depressive symptoms
Exact: SMD -0.67
Horticultural activities have a moderate overall effect on reducing depressive symptoms in community-dwelling adults
The systematic review covered 30 studies and 2,071 participants. The meta-analysis subset of 25 studies used a random-effects model to estimate effect sizes as standardised mean differences. The pooled result (SMD −0.67, 95% CI −0.86 to −0.47) indicates a moderate beneficial effect of horticultural activities — including plant care, artwork, harvesting, food consumption, sensory stimulation, and starting rituals — on alleviating depressive symptoms in community-dwelling adults. Most included studies carried a high risk of bias due to ethical requirements and the nature of the intervention.
The meta-analysis covered 25 studies and indicated that horticultural activities had an overall moderate effect on depressive symptoms (SMD - 0.67, 95 % CI -0.86 to -0.47, I
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