4.3. Future Research
There are many avenues for future research under the umbrella of the influence of gardening on children’s PA. Here, we consider three key themes: mediating mechanisms, moderators (interactions), and the life course perspective.Mediating mechanism(s) illuminate how and why gardening affects PA. A compelling candidate as a mediator of the garden–PA relationship is motivation. In their seminal work on motivation, Yarrow and colleagues [Second, moderators are a critical topic for research. Differential effects of PA interventions across sub-groups—as we document in this study—may contribute to inequities, not only in PA, but ultimately, in health outcomes [Another compelling, though challenging, direction for future research is to expand beyond the longitudinal scope of this 2-year study to complete a “life course” study, implemented across decades. Such an investigation would endeavor to assess whether gardening experienced in early childhood sparks a turning point in PA and health trajectories [