Allergy, Asthma in Children, Atopic Dermatitis, Cognitive Change, Microbial Colonization, Nature, Human, Respiratory Infection
Conditions
Keywords
Commensal microbiome, Atopy, Planetary health, Biodiversity, Cognitive skills
Brief summary
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).
Interventions
OTHERBiodiversity
In rewilding kindergartens, the yards are modified with biological elements, i.e., vegetation and plantation will be added to the yards.
OTHERPlayground equipment
Playground equipment that increase the physical activity of children will be added to the kindergarten yards.
Sponsors
Tampere University
Natural Resources Institute Finland
Study design
Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
1 Years to 5 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Attendance in kindergarten
Exclusion criteria
* Use of antibiotics in the year before sampling
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Skin Gammaproteobacteria | Baseline, 3 month, 1 year, 2 year, 3 year | Difference on skin gammaproteobacterial diversity between rewilding and control group |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Difference in taxonomies of skin, saliva and stool microbiota | Baseline, 3 month, 1 year, 2 year, 3 year | It will be analyzed if microbial communities are different between treatments |
| White blood cell transcriptomics | Baseline, 3 month, 1 year, 2 year, 3 year | White blood cell transcriptome is analyzed with single cell RNA sequencing. |
| Plasma cytokines | Baseline, 3 month, 1 year, 2 year, 3 year | Cytokines will be analyzed analyzed with Meso Scale. |
| Skin cytokines | Baseline, 3 month, 1 year, 2 year, 3 year | Cytokines will be analyzed using skin tape strip samples. |
| Infectious diseases | Baseline, 3 month, 1 year, 2 year, 3 year | Infections will be recorded with questionnaires. |
| Asthma symptoms | Baseline, 3 month, 1 year, 2 year, 3 year | Asthma symptoms will be recorded with questionnaires. |
| Atopic dermatitis | Baseline, 3 month, 1 year, 2 year, 3 year | Atopic dermatitis will be recorded with questionnaires. |
| Allergy | Baseline, 3 month, 1 year, 2 year, 3 year | Allergies will be recorded with questionnaires. |
| Patient-oriented Eczema Measure | Baseline, 3 month, 1 year, 2 year, 3 year | Lower score on patient-oriented Eczema Measure among intervention treatment compared to control that indicates lower eczema among intervention treatment. Minimum 0, maximum 28. |
| Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence | Baseline, 3 month, 1 year, 2 year, 3 year | Higher score on Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence among intervention treatment compared to control that indicates better cognitive skills among intervention treatment. Minimum 40, maximum 170. |
| Cortisol levels | Baseline, 3 month, 1 year, 2 year, 3 year | Cortisol levels measured from hair samples |
| Difference in diversity of skin, saliva and stool microbiota | Baseline, 3 month, 1 year, 2 year, 3 year | It will be analyzed if microbial communities are different between treatments |
| Microbial observed species richness | Baseline, 3 month, 1 year, 2 year, 3 year | Higher score in observed species richness of commensal microbiota among biodiversity treatment |
| White blood cell distribution | Baseline, 3 month, 1 year, 2 year, 3 year | It will be analyzed if the distribution is different between treatments |
Other
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Associations between environmental factors and white blood cells | Baseline, 3 month, 1 year, 2 year, 3 year | It will be analyzed if environmental factors correlate with white blood cell distributions. |
| Associations between environmental factors and cortisol levels | Baseline, 3 month, 1 year, 2 year, 3 year | It will be analyzed if environmental factors correlate with cortisol levels. |
| Associations between environmental factors and cognitive skills. | Baseline, 3 month, 1 year, 2 year, 3 year | It will be analyzed if environmental factors correlate with cognitive skills. |
| Associations between environmental factors and infectious diseases. | Baseline, 3 month, 1 year, 2 year, 3 year | It will be analyzed if environmental factors correlate with the prevalence of infectious diseases. |
| Associations between environmental factors and atopy. | Baseline, 3 month, 1 year, 2 year, 3 year | It will be analyzed if environmental factors correlate with the atopic dermatitis |
| Associations between environmental factors and allergies. | Baseline, 3 month, 1 year, 2 year, 3 year | It will be analyzed if environmental factors correlate with the allergy symptoms. |
| Associations between environmental factors and asthma. | Baseline, 3 month, 1 year, 2 year, 3 year | It will be analyzed if environmental factors correlate with the asthma symptoms. |
| Associations between environmental factors and commensal microbiota. | Baseline, 3 month, 1 year, 2 year, 3 year | It will be analyzed if environmental factors correlate with richness of commensal microbiota. |
| Associations between environmental factors and cytokine levels. | Baseline, 3 month, 1 year, 2 year, 3 year | It will be analyzed if environmental factors correlate with cytokine levels. |
Countries
Finland
Contacts
Primary ContactSanna Hurtola
Outcome results
None listed