Table 3.

Baseline to 12-month changes in behavioral, psychosocial and clinical outcomes of 46 older cancer survivors enrolled in a vegetable gardening feasibility trial^a

Mean (SE)	Gardening Intervention			Waitlist Control
	0M (n=24)	12M (n=22)	Within-Arm Difference 0–12M p-value	0M (n=22)	12M (n=20)	Within-Arm Difference 0–12M p-value
Health Behaviors
Vegetable & Fruit Intake (EATS)b
- Servings/day	1.34(0.25)	2.25(0.45)	0.02	1.22(0.17)	1.12(0.21)	0.77
Physical Activity (PA)
Moderate PA (GTLEQ) (min/week)	59.77(20.47)	105.00(32.76)	0.26	22.50(7.18)	52.14(30.64)	0.47
Accelerometer MET hours/weekc	63.18(9.45)	62.82(10.62)	0.42	59.05(10.41)	42.76(11.87)	0.50
Anthropometric Measures
Weight (kg)	77.70(3.58)	75.04(3.45)	0.13	78.36(3.82)	80.95(4.59)	0.55
BMI (kg/m2)	28.53(1.04)	27.82(1.19)	0.17	27.99(0.97)	28.49(1.18)	0.57
Waist Circumference (cm)	92.92(2.86)	95.22(2.67)	<0.01	91.89(3.08)	99.85(3.79)	<0.01
Physical Performance Measuresd
2-Minute Step Test (steps)	72.08(4.76)	93.61(4.08)	<0.01	74.38(6.24)	88.42(8.07)	0.06
Timed 8-foot Walk (seconds)	3.55(0.28)	2.54(0.16)	0.04	3.68(0.30)	3.07(0.37)	0.01
8-foot Get-Up & Go (seconds)	8.19(0.32)	6.92(0.41)	0.003	8.49(0.52)	6.87(0.60)	0.03
30-second Chair Stand (number of rises)	12.46(0.57)	13.74(0.77)	0.19	14.14(1.19)	13.94(1.23)	0.66
Chair Sit & Reach (inches)	0.87(0.52)	0.84(0.82)	0.95	−1.26(0.94)	−0.81(0.95)	0.98
Back Scratch (inches)	−1.49(1.21)	−2.80(0.97)	0.37	−3.28(1.25)	−3.40(1.36)	0.89
Arm Curl (number of curls)	18.00(0.84)	18.40(1.05)	0.42	17.38(1.13)	20.11(1.55)	0.08
Hand Grip Strength (kg)	25.98(2.13)	25.20(1.83)	0.63	26.00(1.87)	27.65(2.26)	0.21
Balance Testing (seconds)	5.58(0.25)	5.95(0.05)	0.15	5.28(0.30)	5.42(0.33)	0.16
Biomarkers
Salivary Cortisol (μg/dL)	0.64(0.32)	0.04(0.02)	0.21	0.41(0.18)	0.24(0.20)	0.82
Fingernail Cortisol (ng/g)f	0.069(0.025)	0.062(0.051)	0.41	0.102(0.054)	0.102(0.065)	0.96
Toenail Cortisol (ng/g)f	0.022(0.073)	0.015(0.007)	0.39	0.040(0.060)	0.149(0.065)	0.64
Telomerase	0.014(0.007)	0.001(0.001)	0.05	0.014(0.006)	0.012(0.007)	0.81
Interleukin (IL)-6 (pg/mL)	1.77(0.52)	1.12(0.10)	0.24	1.59(0.31)	1.46(0.23)	0.52
Psychosocial Measurese
Perceived Stress	13.14(1.33)	13.67(1.52)	0.80	11.37(1.91)	11.46(1.90)	0.39
Reassurance of Worth*	12.95(0.36)	13.44(0.40)	0.18	13.53(0.48)	13.08(0.59)	0.07
Quality of Life (SF-36)12
Physical Summary Score *	72.45(2.73)	66.14(3.91)	0.29	67.69(3.07)	74.67(3.76)	0.07
- Physical functioning	73.48(3.45)	75.00(5.00)	0.36	72.86(4.09)	77.65(3.84)	0.31
- Physical role limitations **	71.74(4.34)	63.99(6.91)	0.22	64.58(5.07)	79.41(5.56)	0.01
- Pain **	76.30(3.80)	64.40(5.34)	0.02	66.43(4.95)	77.50(5.28)	0.05
- General Health	68.26(3.15)	66.14(3.92)	0.89	66.90(4.02)	64.12(4.91)	0.19
Mental Health Score*	75.46(2.86)	74.01(4.76)	0.66	68.80(4.42)	75.95(4.00)	0.01
- Emotional well-being	76.74(3.09)	80.00(3.61)	0.53	74.52(4.85)	76.47(5.40)	0.35
- Emotional role limitations	81.88(4.37)	79.76(5.99)	0.84	76.59(5.65)	87.25(4.35)	0.03
- Vitality*	58.42(2.80)	55.95(4.85)	0.46	51.49(3.73)	58.46(3.90)	0.02
- Social functioning	84.78(3.24)	80.36(6.49)	0.44	72.62(6.08)	81.62(5.04)	0.07

^aMeasures described in Methods and Table 1.

^bp<0.06;

^cMET-hours Metabolic Equivalent of Task (MET) is a physiological measure expressing the energy cost of physical activities, as compared to the reference metabolic rate of 3.5 ml O²·kg⁻¹·min⁻¹, (estimated oxygen consumption at rest). Higher levels indicate more physical activity.

^dFor physical performance measures, higher values are favorable for the 2-minute step test, 30-second chair stand, arm curl, hand grip strength and balance testing, for all other measures lower values are considered more favorable.

^eFor psychosocial measures, higher values are favorable for reassuance of worth (maximal score=16; minimal score=4) and the SF-36 (maximal score=100; minimal score=0), and lower values are favorable for perceived stress (maximal score=16; minimal score=0)

^fl nmol/g (0.3625 ng/g)

^*Between-arm difference of p<0.05;

^**Between-arm difference of p<0.01