Biodiversity is essential for nature and human well-being. Land use has reduced biodiversity in cities that is associated with altered commensal microbiota and a rising burden of immunological disorders among urban children.
The investigators will estimate how rewilding of kindergarten yards affects commensal microbiome, prevalence of allergies, asthma, atopic dermatitis and infections, cortisol levels, cognitive skills and plasma cytokine levels of children.
Our specific aims are:
To assess if rewilding diversifies health-associated skin, saliva and gut microbiota and reduces infectious diseases and atopic or allergic symptoms.
Assess whether the rewilding has positive effects on cognitive skills. Assess whether the rewilding changes cortisol and plasma cytokine levels. The investigators will recruit altogether 320 (160 per treatment) study subjects aged between 1-5 to questionnaire study (Task 2), from which 120 study subjects will be analyzed more detailed using microbiological and blood samples (Task 1).
Attendance in kindergarten
Use of antibiotics in the year before sampling
Parallel
Biodiversity
Other interventionIn rewilding kindergartens, the yards are modified with biological elements, i.e., vegetation and plantation will be added to the yards.
Playground equipment
Other interventionPlayground equipment that increase the physical activity of children will be added to the kindergarten yards.
Skin Gammaproteobacteria
Difference on skin gammaproteobacterial diversity between rewilding and control group
Cortisol levels
Cortisol levels measured from hair samples
Difference in diversity of skin, saliva and stool microbiota
It will be analyzed if microbial communities are different between treatments
Microbial observed species richness
Higher score in observed species richness of commensal microbiota among biodiversity treatment
Difference in taxonomies of skin, saliva and stool microbiota
It will be analyzed if microbial communities are different between treatments
Associations between environmental factors and cytokine levels.
It will be analyzed if environmental factors correlate with cytokine levels.
Associations between environmental factors and commensal microbiota.
It will be analyzed if environmental factors correlate with richness of commensal microbiota.
Associations between environmental factors and white blood cells
It will be analyzed if environmental factors correlate with white blood cell distributions.
Associations between environmental factors and cortisol levels
It will be analyzed if environmental factors correlate with cortisol levels.
Click on the lead sponsor to view all of their trials.
Natural Resources Institute Finland
Lead sponsor
Tampere University
Collaborator
