Development and validation of the Just Community Gardening Survey: A measure of the social and dietary outcomes of community garden participation

Our aim was to develop and validate a survey measuring outcomes of community gardening related to food system equity. Face validity was assessed by six community gardening experts and resulted in minor changes to the survey. Weighted kappa and Cronbach’s alpha were used to determine test-retest reliability and internal consistency using a sample of community gardeners in New York City (n=38). Weighted kappa analyses revealed almost perfect agreement (mean = 0.981, range 0.498-1, p≤.001). Cronbach’s alpha was calculated for eight scales, most of which had excellent agreement. The resulting 25-item Just Community Gardening Survey consisted of demographic, garden participation, garden activities, social participation, social cohesion, collective efficacy, perceived impact on dietary intake, food access and security, horticultural and environmental knowledge and diet-related health questions. This validated survey not only measures the social and dietary outcomes of community gardening, it incorporates important aspects of food justice not assessed in previous research