Trial reportScientific reports2020
Impact of outdoor nature-related activities on gut microbiota, fecal serotonin, and perceived stress in preschool children: the Play&Grow randomized controlled trial.
Trial report in Scientific reports, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 38 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
38 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 101 citations in OpenAlex.
- Universal interventions to improve young children's mental well-being: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Psychological bulletin · 2026Pooled it
- How can nature connectedness and behaviours for learning be deliberately developed in children, adolescents and young adults? A systematic literature review.Child and adolescent mental health · 2025Pooled it
- Non-therapeutic play to overcome negative emotional symptoms and improve emotional intelligence in children aged 3-7: a systematic review.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Pooled it
- The role of connection with nature in empirical studies with physiological measurements: a systematic literature review.Biologia futura · 2023Pooled it
- The Gut Microbiome and Residential Surrounding Greenness: a Systematic Review of Epidemiological Evidence.Current environmental health reports · 2023Pooled it
- A Systematic Review of Arts-Based Interventions Delivered to Children and Young People in Nature or Outdoor Spaces: Impact on Nature Connectedness, Health and Wellbeing.Frontiers in psychology · 2022Pooled it
- Effectiveness of PsychobioticNutrients · 2024Trial
- From autism to obesity and beyond: mapping global trends and gaps in pediatric gut microbiota interventions-a bibliometric analysis.Translational pediatrics · 2026Article
- Playgrounds as microbial interfaces: strategies to enhance soil microbiomes and support healthy childhoods.mSystems · 2026Review
- Environmental microbiota transfer from forest soil into urban homes: a proof-of-principle study.Microbiome · 2026Article
- Associations of forest vs. urban environmental exposure with well-being and nasal microbiome composition: An exploratory pilot study.Environmental research · 2026Article
- Associations between parent-child outdoor visits and preschool-aged children's screen time: a cross-sectional study.Journal of activity, sedentary and sleep behaviors · 2025Article
- How the Built Environment Shapes Children's Microbiome: A Systematic Review.Microorganisms · 2025Review
- Association between early childhood outdoor activity and anxiety symptoms in preschoolers.BMC psychiatry · 2025Article
- Biological, environmental, and psychological stress and the human gut microbiome in healthy adults.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Multisensory nature-based Recharge Rooms' effect on healthcare workers in a multicenter study.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Article
- Article
- Le développement sain de l'enfant par le jeu risqué extérieur : un équilibre à trouver avec la prévention des blessures.Paediatrics & child health · 2024Review
- Healthy childhood development through outdoor risky play: Navigating the balance with injury prevention.Paediatrics & child health · 2024Review
- Influence of Compost Amendments on Soil and Human Gastrointestinal Bacterial Communities during a Single Gardening Season.Microorganisms · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Due to rapid urbanization, children today have fewer opportunities to interact with nature and this may result in a greater risk for developing stress and depression. Outdoor nature-related activities can enhance general well-being. However, the underlying mechanisms are not fully delineated. Here we recruited 54 preschool children to participate in a 10-week structured nature-related "Play&Grow" program. Following the intervention, children were assessed for connectedness to nature and perceived stress levels using validated questionnaires. Moreover, fecal serotonin level and gut microbiota profiles were measured by ELISA and 16S rDNA amplicon sequencing, respectively. Children were significantly more connected to nature after the intervention. Their gut microbiota altered, especially by modulating the abundance of Roseburia and the fecal-serotonin level. Moreover, we also observed a reduction in the overall perceived stress, particularly in the frequency of anger among these children. This study is the first to demonstrate the impact of nature-related activities on gut microbiota, fecal serotonin and psychosocial behaviour of preschool children. However, further mechanistic studies are needed to confirm the functional role of gut microbiota in the association between connectedness to nature and improved psychosocial behavior.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.