Health and wellbeing impacts of arts and culture

This research was conducted by Rossana L. De Feudis and five others at San Paulo Hospital and two other institutions in Bari, Italy

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This paper describes the results of a study into the use of art therapy during a course of cancer treatment. We know that art therapies can benefit …

This research was conducted by Linda Thomson and three others at University College London and the University of Leicester

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This paper describes the findings from an evaluation of a ‘creative green prescription’ programme held at Whitworth Park and the Whitworth Art Gallery in Manchester. Participation in the programme was shown …

This research was conducted by Wendy Vlismas, Stephen Malloch and Denis Burnham at the University of Western Sydney, Australia.

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In this work, a group of researchers investigated the effects of music and movement (M&M) on the interactions between first time mothers and their 2–6-month-old infants. They also evaluated the effects …

This research was conducted by Daisy Fancourt, Andrew Steptoe and Dorina Cadar at University College London

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This paper demonstrates that taking part in community cultural engagement lowers the risk of developing dementia in old age. The research team analysed data from 9,550 adults aged 50 who were part of the …

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Parkinson’s Disease frequently impacts the balance and gait of sufferers and participation in dance programmes has been shown to generate improvements in patients. This article consolidates the existing literature on the topic. It looks …

This research was conducted by Chris Hand at Kingston University.

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This research took data from two years of the Taking Part survey (2012-2013) and compared people’s happiness levels with their arts attendance. The research was therefore based on a data set of more than 7,000 people. Overall there was …

This research was conducted by Gill Windle and six others at Bangor University and four other institutions.

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This paper examined the results of four sessions of ‘Creative Conversations’: an arts-based intervention for care staff development. The 'Conversations' improved staff skills and confidence, enabling meaningful interactions that were ‘creative, ‘in …

This research was conducted by Daisy Fancourt and Urszula Tymoszuk at University College London.

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This paper explored whether cultural attendance by older adults is associated with a reduced risk of developing depression. The paper considered attendance to comprise visits to the theatre, concerts or opera, the cinema and art …

This research was conducted by Jenny M. Groarke and Michael J. Hogan at the National University of Ireland, Galway.

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This study sought to determine how mood enhancement and other positive effects of music listening interact to support wellbeing, and how these factors differed between younger and older people. Mood regulation …

This research was conducted by Shoshi Keisari and three others at the University of Haifa, Israel

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This paper describes the mental health impacts generated by a programme of Playback Theatre sessions for visitors to adult day centres in Israel. ‘Playback Theatre is a form of improvisational theatre in which a …