Background: Various food-based, agricultural practices have been evident in rural communities to address the existing food and nutrition-related problems. The role of women in managing home gardens has contributed to the improvement of food availability and accessibility in their households. However, the direct impacts of home gardens to the nutritional status of adult mothers still need a thorough investigation. This study aimed to determine the association between the practice of home gardening and nutritional status of adult mothers (ages 30–59) in Baculod, Alcala, Cagayan. Methods: This cross-sectional study incorporated interviewer-administered household surveys on sociodemographic profile and home gardening practices, individual dietary diversity score, and assessment of nutritional status of randomly sampled respondents. Data analysis procedures included descriptive statistics to describe the sociodemographic characteristics and home gardening practices of mothers with and without home gardens. Moreover, the chi-square test of independence was utilized to determine whether or not there is a direct link between home gardening and nutritional status of the study participants.
Results: The findings of this study revealed that there were more adult mothers who practice home gardening (n=116) than those who are not (n=71). The mean dietary diversity scores of mothers with home gardens (x̄ = 5.21) tends to be higher than those of mothers without home gardens (x̄ = 4.69). Moreover, the results of the statistical analysis showed that there are no significant differences in the nutritional status of mothers with and without home gardens. The nutritional status of mothers with home gardens could be related not just to their home gardening practices but also to other intervening variables. Conclusion: There is not enough evidence to conclude that the practice of home gardening has association with the nutritional status of the adult mothers (aged 30-59) in the study area.