title: Correlates of willingness to engage in residential gardening: implications for health optimization in ibadan, Nigeria.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Gardening is a worthwhile adventure which engenders health op-timization. Yet, a dearth of evidences that highlights motivations to engage in gardening exists. This study examined willingness to engage in gardening and its correlates, including some socio-psychological, health related and socio-demographic variables.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this cross-sectional survey, 508 copies of a structured questionnaire were randomly self administered among a group of civil servants of Oyo State, Nigeria. Multi-item measures were used to assess variables. Step wise multiple regression analysis was used to identify predictors of willingness to engage in gar-dening Results: Simple percentile analysis shows that 71.1% of respondents do not own a garden. Results of step wise multiple regression analysis indicate that descriptive norm of gardening is a good predictor, social support for gardening is better while gardening self efficacy is the best predictor of willingness to engage in gardening (P< 0.001). Health consciousness, gardening response efficacy, education and age are not predictors of this willingness (P> 0.05). Results of t-test and ANOVA respectively shows that gender is not associated with this willingness (P> 0.05), but marital status is (P< 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Socio-psychological characteristics and being married are very rele-vant in motivations to engage in gardening. The nexus between gardening and health optimization appears to be highly obscured in this population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Agricultural Extension and Management, Federal College of Forestry, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria Medical Sociology Unit, Department of Sociology, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Fausat
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Motunrayo Ibrahim
keywords: Descriptive norm; Gardening; Health consciousness; Response efficacy; Self-efficacy; Social support; Willingness