NCT06353035

Biodiversity Interventions for Well-Being

Biodiversity Interventions for Well-being, Neighborhood Rewilding

• Status: Active Not Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 30 (actual)
• Sponsor: Natural Resources Institute Finland · Other Government
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 72 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

Biodiversity is essential for nature and human well-being. Land use has reduced biodiversity in cities, which weakens the functionality of the urban ecosystems and the well-being of citizens. This may also increase the risk of immune-mediated disorders among urban dwellers. In Biodiversity interventions for well-being (BIWE), microbial biodiversity interventions are performed to increase biodiversity in urban built areas. Results from the intervention trials are combined with publicly available land cover and ecological data. These are analyzed from the viewpoint of shifts in ecosystems and human well-being and immune regulation, ecological quality, and urban planning. The investigators set up an intervention study in which urban private yards are rewilded with diverse vegetation and decaying deadwood and plant residuals. The investigators aim to evaluate the effect of rewilding, and yard management practices on commensal microbiome, cortisol levels and well-being and salivary cytokine levels, and gene pathways.

Detailed description

Our specific aims are: To assess if rewilding diversifies health-associated skin microbiota and is associated with salivary cytokine levels, gene pathways, cortisol levels and commensal microbiota. Assess whether there are patterns in the microbiome associated with the salivary cytokine levels and hair cortisol levels. Assess whether rewilding affects health and psychological measures, such as Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (SWEMWS), Depression Scale (DEPS) and Nature Relatedness Scale (NR6). The investigators will recruit approximately 42 (21 study subjects per treatment) subjects living in a detached house or terraced house in urban areas and aged between 18-72. The medical exclusion criteria include immunosuppressive medications, immune deficiencies, a disease affecting immune response (e.g., colitis ulcerosa, rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn's disease, diabetes), cancer diagnosis within the last year or on-going cancer treatment. Other exclusion criteria include incompetency and living outside city area.

Conditions

• Microbial Colonization
• Immune System Diseases
• Well-Being, Psychological
• Nature, Human

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	Rewilding	Private yards of the intervention study subjects will be modified with vegetation and deadwood.

Timeline

• Start date: 2022-03-30
• Primary completion: 2027-06-30
• Completion: 2027-09-30
• First posted: 2024-04-08
• Last updated: 2024-04-08

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Finland