Food insecure community gardeners in rural Appalachian Ohio more strongly agree that their produce intake improved and food spending decreased as a result of community gardening compared to food secure community gardeners

Relationships among food security, produce intake and behaviors, health, and social capital in rural Appalachian community gardeners were examined. Gardeners (n = 120) were surveyed, with 50 responding (42% response rate). Though most respondents were food secure, approximately 15% were food insecure. Results indicated that participants ate more produce (76%), made better eating choices (74%), spent less money on food (74%), were more physically active (66%), and made new friends (74%). Food insecurity was associated with eating more produce (p < 0.05) and spending less money on food (p = 0.05) due to gardening, which warrants further exploration.