Southwest Harvest for Health: Adapting a mentored vegetable gardening intervention for cancer survivors in the southwest

Cindy K Blair; Elizabeth M Harding; Prajakta Adsul; Sara Moran; Dolores Guest; Kathy Clough; Andrew L Sussman; Dorothy Duff; Linda S Cook; Joseph Rodman; Zoneddy Dayao; Ursa Brown-Glaberman; Towela V King; V Shane Pankratz; Eduardo Servin; Sally Davis; Wendy Demark-Wahnefried

doi:10.1016/j.conctc.2021.100741

Southwest Harvest for Health: Adapting a mentored vegetable gardening intervention for cancer survivors in the southwest

Contemp Clin Trials Commun. 2021 Feb 11:21:100741. doi: 10.1016/j.conctc.2021.100741. eCollection 2021 Mar.

Authors

Cindy K Blair^{1

2}, Elizabeth M Harding¹, Prajakta Adsul^{1

2}, Sara Moran³, Dolores Guest^{1

2}, Kathy Clough⁴, Andrew L Sussman^{2

5}, Dorothy Duff⁴, Linda S Cook^{1

2}, Joseph Rodman², Zoneddy Dayao^{1

2}, Ursa Brown-Glaberman^{1

2}, Towela V King⁶, V Shane Pankratz^{1

2}, Eduardo Servin³, Sally Davis^{7

8}, Wendy Demark-Wahnefried^{9

10}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Internal Medicine, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA.
² University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center, Albuquerque, NM, USA.
³ Extension Plant Sciences, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, USA.
⁴ Albuquerque Area Extension Master Gardener Program, NMSU Cooperative Extension Service, Albuquerque, NM, USA.
⁵ Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA.
⁶ School of Medicine, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA.
⁷ Department of Pediatrics, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA.
⁸ University of New Mexico Prevention Research Center, Albuquerque, NM, USA.
⁹ Department of Nutrition Sciences, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.
¹⁰ O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.

Abstract

Few diet and physical activity evidence-based interventions have been routinely used in community settings to achieve population health outcomes. Adapting interventions to fit the implementation context is important to achieve the desired results. Harvest for Health is a home-based vegetable gardening intervention that pairs cancer survivors with certified Master Gardeners from the Cooperative Extension Service with the ultimate goal of increasing vegetable consumption and physical activity, and improving physical functioning and health-related quality-of-life. Harvest for Health has potential for widespread dissemination since Master Gardener Programs exist throughout the United States. However, state- and population-specific adaptations may be needed to improve intervention adoption by other Master Gardener Programs. Our primary objective was to adapt this evidence-informed intervention that was initially incepted in Alabama, for the drastically different climate and growing conditions of New Mexico using a recommended adaptation framework. Our secondary objective was to develop a study protocol to support a pilot test of the adapted intervention, Southwest Harvest for Health. The adaptation phase is a critical first step towards widespread dissemination, implementation, and scale-out of an evidence-based intervention. This paper describes the adaptation process and outcomes, and the resulting protocol for the ongoing pilot study that is currently following 30 cancer survivors and their paired Extension Master Gardener mentors.

Keywords: Adaptation; Cancer survivors; Cooperative extension service; Gardening; Quality of life; Vegetables.

Abstract

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