Evaluating the Well-Being Benefits and Social Value of Volunteer Gardening: Health Economics Meets Behavioral Science

Multidisciplinary collaboration is key to strengthening the evidence base for multifaceted illness prevention interventions. We bring together health economics and behavioral science to explore the well-being benefits and social cost–benefit of volunteer gardening at an accredited botanic garden, Wa...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Behavioral sciences 2024-12, Vol.14 (12), p.1233
Main Authors: Whiteley, Holly, Parkinson, John, Hartfiel, Ned, Makanjuola, Abraham, Lloyd-Williams, Huw, Lawrence, Catherine, Edwards, Rhiannon Tudor
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Accreditation
behavioral science
Community
Consent
Cost control
Data collection
Economic aspects
Gardens & gardening
Goulart, Ron
Health economics
illness prevention
Mental health
Psychological aspects
Questionnaires
Rate of return
social cost–benefit
social value
Valuation
Volunteerism
Volunteers
well-being
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Summary:Multidisciplinary collaboration is key to strengthening the evidence base for multifaceted illness prevention interventions. We bring together health economics and behavioral science to explore the well-being benefits and social cost–benefit of volunteer gardening at an accredited botanic garden, Wales, UK. A health economics-informed social return on investment (SROI) evaluation was combined with the assessment of volunteers’ basic psychological needs (autonomy, competence, and relatedness), connection to nature, and their interrelatedness in this innovative nature-based intervention study. Pre- and post-volunteering outcome data were collected using the Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (SWEMWBS), the ICEpop CAPability measure for Adults (ICECAP-A), the 12-item diary version of the Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction and Frustration Scale (BPNSNF), the Nature Connection Index (NCI), and a bespoke Client Service Receipt Inventory (CSRI). Results indicate that volunteer gardening can provide well-being benefits to participants and cost savings to the NHS. The well-being benefits observed were estimated to generate social value in the range of GBP 4.02 to GBP 5.43 for every GBP 1 invested. This study contributes to the evidence base that simple nature-based interventions such as volunteer gardening could offer low-cost supportive environments that deliver significant well-being benefits and associated social value to local communities, including a reduced burden on overstretched local healthcare services.
ISSN:2076-328X
2076-328X
DOI:10.3390/bs14121233