Media release

From: Swinburne University of Technology

The verdict is in: you really should stop and smell the roses!

A new study lead by Swinburne University of Technology graduate Leith Symes has demonstrated the connection between appreciating gardens and positive health and wellbeing outcomes in regional Australia.

Past research was focused on metropolitan areas, and the act of gardening rather than appreciating them.

This research opens the door to new health promotion initiatives based around gardens to improve the poorer health outcomes regional and rural Australians experience compared with their city counterparts.

‘Surrounding yourself with beauty’: exploring the health promotion potential of a rural garden appreciation group, published this month in Health Promotion International, suggest wellbeing outcomes include direct and indirect impacts on physical fitness, social connectedness and friendship, and an improved sense of pride and self-esteem.

Symes was inspired by the gap in research linking gardens and wellbeing outside metropolitan areas, particularly when he heard about Colac Horticultural and Marvellous Property Appreciation Society (CHAMPAS).

“I was corrected many times when I said the group’s name – they’d say, ‘No, no, no, you've got it wrong. It's CHAMPAS like champagne,’ because at their events there's often champagne involved,” he said.

Formed in 2017, the volunteer group from south-west Victoria hosts meet ups of notable gardens and properties in the area.

“That whole idea that because people live in the countryside, they're not desperate for green space and gardens is a bit flawed,” Symes said.

“It was extremely surprising the amount of people that were involved in CHAMPAS.”

The study began as an Honours year project for Symes in 2021, while studying a Bachelor of Health Sciences at Swinburne majoring in health across the life span and biomedical science, for which he was awarded First Class Honours.

As part of the findings, it recommends potential health promotion initiatives for regional and rural Australians.