Do Rural Second Homes Shape Commensal Microbiota of Urban Dwellers? A Pilot Study among Urban Elderly in Finland

According to the hygiene and biodiversity hypotheses, increased hygiene levels and reduced contact with biodiversity can partially explain the high prevalence of immune-mediated diseases in developed countries. A disturbed commensal microbiota, especially in the gut, has been linked to multiple immune-mediated diseases. Previous studies imply that gut microbiota composition is associated with the everyday living environment and can be modified by increasing direct physical exposure to biodiverse materials. In this pilot study, the effects of rural-second-home tourism were investigated on the gut microbiota for the first time. Rural-second-home tourism, a popular form of outdoor recreation in Northern Europe, North America, and Russia, has the potential to alter the human microbiota by increasing exposure to nature and environmental microbes. The hypotheses were that the use of rural second homes is associated with differences in the gut microbiota and that the microbiota related to health benefits are more diverse or common among the rural-second-home users. Based on 16S rRNA Illumina MiSeq sequencing of stool samples from 10 urban elderly having access and 15 lacking access to a rural second home, the first hypothesis was supported: the use of rural second homes was found to be associated with lower gut microbiota diversity and RIG-I-like receptor signaling pathway levels. The second hypothesis was not supported: health-related microbiota were not more diverse or common among the second-home users. The current study encourages further research on the possible health outcomes or causes of the observed microbiological differences. Activities and diet during second-home visits, standard of equipment, surrounding environment, and length of the visits are all postulated to play a role in determining the effects of rural-second-home tourism on the gut microbiota.

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COMPARISON BETWEEN SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF SECOND HOME PHENOMENON AND OTHER LEISURE MOBILITY FORMS IN KOPRIVNICA-KRIŽEVCI COUNTY

JOURNAL OF TOURSIM AND HOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT ◽

10.35666/25662880.2017.3.166 ◽

2017 ◽

pp. 166-180

Keyword(s):

Rural Areas ◽

Outdoor Recreation ◽

Leisure Activities ◽

National Level ◽

Spatial Mobility ◽

Tourist Attractions ◽

Second Homes ◽

Second Home ◽

Recreation Areas ◽

Near Future

Unlike other forms of leisure spatial mobility (tourism, excursions, outdoor recreation), the second home phenomenon includes elements of habitation or place attachment to the receiving area. Although all leisure activities are generated by the desire for temporarily change of the dwelling place and escape to recreational amenity rich areas, the leading second home and tourism-excursion-outdoor recreation areas do not fully coincide. The goal of the paper is to examine the spatial overlapping of the second home phenomenon and other leisure mobility forms in Koprivnica-Križevci County to provide scientific contribution to the research of spatial (non)matching of the mentioned phenomena in rural areas of Croatia. Koprivnica-Križevci County was therefore chosen because it is a typical rural area in the Peripannonian region of Croatia, which does not stand out on a national level either according to a large number of second homes, or according to more prominent tourism flow, but in the near future a stronger development of leisure spatial mobilities can be expected. The spatial overlapping of the second home phenomenon and other leisure mobility forms in Koprivnica-Križevci County was examined through the following steps: a) identification of the leading second home areas in the County according to the number of second homes at the level of the settlement in 2011; b) identification of leading tourism-excursion-outdoor recreation areas in the County at the level of the settlement according to four indicators: number of overnights in 2016, number of tourist beds in 2016, number of catering facilities linked with tourism- excursions outdoor recreation in 2017, number of tourist attractions in 2017; and c) analysis of spatial overlapping of second home phenomenon and other leisure mobility forms.

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Second Homes and Outdoor Recreation: A Swedish Perspective on Second Home Use and Complementary Spaces

Second Home Tourism in Europe ◽

10.4324/9781315607948-15 ◽

2016 ◽

pp. 147-166

Keyword(s):

Outdoor Recreation ◽

Second Homes ◽

Second Home ◽

Complementary Spaces

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How do Rural Second Homes Affect Human Health and Well-being? Review of Potential Impacts

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph17186748 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (18) ◽

pp. 6748 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Kati Pitkänen ◽

Jenni Lehtimäki ◽

Riikka Puhakka

Keyword(s):

Outdoor Recreation ◽

Well Being ◽

Second Homes ◽

Second Home ◽

Key Issues ◽

Urban People ◽

Mental Well Being ◽

To Receive ◽

Health And Well Being

Contact with nature is associated with numerous psychological, physiological and social health and well-being benefits. Outdoor recreation, such as rural second home tourism, provides extensive exposure to the natural environment, but research around health impacts of this exposure is scattered. We review current research on health and well-being impacts of nature and discuss how the characteristics of rural second home environments and their use and users can affect these potential impacts in Finland. We discover four key issues affecting the impacts. First, health and well-being impacts depend on the users; urban people can especially benefit from rural second homes, while child development and the performance of elderly people can also be supported by contact with nature at second homes. Second, the regularity, length and season of second home visits influence the potential to receive benefits as they have an impact on the intensity of nature exposure. Third, the type and quality of second home environment affect contact with nature, such as exposure to health-supporting environmental microbes. Fourth, practices, motives and meanings modify activities and attachment and crucially affect both physical and mental well-being. We conclude that rural second homes have extensive potential to provide nature-related health and well-being benefits and further research is needed.

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The Impact of COVID-19 on the Rural Second Home Tourism

Handbook of Research on the Impacts and Implications of COVID-19 on the Tourism Industry - Advances in Hospitality, Tourism, and the Services Industry ◽

10.4018/978-1-7998-8231-2.ch034 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 703-727

Author(s):

Ersin Türk ◽

Aygün Erdoğan ◽

Beytullah Sulak ◽

Gökhan Hüseyin Erkan

Keyword(s):

Qualitative Research ◽

Second Homes ◽

Interview Technique ◽

Second Home ◽

Global Pandemic ◽

Level Of Satisfaction ◽

Depth Interview ◽

The Impact ◽

Home Users ◽

Structured Questionnaire

The aim of this study is to examine the level of satisfaction of second home users in the EBSR countryside due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For this purpose, a qualitative research based on in-depth interview technique using semi-structured questionnaire was applied to six households. Gürgenağaç Village within the borders of Trabzon Province, Maçka District was selected as the case area. The study provided results to discuss whether rural second homes, which are seen as insurance against risks, fulfill the expected task by virtue of the global pandemic experience and the problems arising from second homes and their surroundings. In conclusion, the study shows that behaviors and attitudes of rural second home owners had significantly changed with the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Trimethylamine N-Oxide, a Gut Microbiota-Derived Metabolite, Is Associated with Cardiovascular Risk in Psoriasis: A Cross-Sectional Pilot Study

Dermatology and Therapy ◽

10.1007/s13555-021-00547-3 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Mariusz Sikora ◽

Norbert Kiss ◽

Albert Stec ◽

Joanna Giebultowicz ◽

Emilia Samborowska ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cardiovascular Risk ◽

Pilot Study ◽

Gut Microbiota ◽

Cross Sectional

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Strongyloides stercoralis Infestation in a Child: How a Nematode Can Affect Gut Microbiota

International Journal of Molecular Sciences ◽

10.3390/ijms22042131 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 22 (4) ◽

pp. 2131

Author(s):

Stefania Pane ◽

Anna Sacco ◽

Andrea Iorio ◽

Lorenza Romani ◽

Lorenza Putignani

Keyword(s):

Gut Microbiota ◽

Bacterial Species ◽

Alpha Diversity ◽

Strongyloides Stercoralis ◽

Pulmonary Involvement ◽

Diversity Indices ◽

Parasite Infection ◽

Intestinal Nematode ◽

Immune Mediated ◽

Stool Samples

Background: Strongyloidiasis is a neglected tropical disease caused by the intestinal nematode Strongyloides stercoralis and characterized by gastrointestinal and pulmonary involvement. We report a pediatric case of strongyloidiasis to underline the response of the host microbiota to the perturbation induced by the nematode. Methods: We performed a 16S rRNA-metagenomic analysis of the gut microbiota of a 7-year-old female during and after S. stercolaris infection, investigating three time-point of stool samples’ ecology: T0- during parasite infection, T1- a month after parasite infection, and T2- two months after parasite infection. Targeted-metagenomics were used to investigate ecology and to predict the functional pathways of the gut microbiota. Results: an increase in the alpha-diversity indices in T0-T1 samples was observed compared to T2 and healthy controls (CTRLs). Beta-diversity analysis showed a shift in the relative abundance of specific gut bacterial species from T0 to T2 samples. Moreover, the functional prediction of the targeted-metagenomics profiles suggested an enrichment of microbial glycan and carbohydrate metabolisms in the T0 sample compared with CTRLs. Conclusions: The herein report reinforces the literature suggestion of a putative direct or immune-mediated ability of S. stercolaris to promote the increase in bacterial diversity.

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An alcohol-free beer enriched with isomaltulose and a resistant dextrin modulates gut microbiome in subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus and overweight or obesity: a pilot study

Food & Function ◽

10.1039/d0fo03160g ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Rocío Mateo-Gallego ◽

Isabel Moreno-Indias ◽

Ana M. Bea ◽

Lidia Sánchez-Alcoholado ◽

Antonio J. Fumanal ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Diabetes Mellitus ◽

Type 2 Diabetes ◽

Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus ◽

Pilot Study ◽

Gut Microbiota ◽

Gut Microbiome ◽

Low Doses ◽

Resistant Dextrin ◽

Overweight Or Obesity

An alcohol-free beer including the substitution of regular carbohydrates for low doses of isomaltulose and maltodextrin within meals significantly impacts gut microbiota in diabetic subjects with overweight or obesity.

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