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Collaboration between the arts and health sectors is gaining momentum. Artists are contributing significantly to public health efforts such as vaccine confidence campaigns. Artists and the arts are well positioned to contribute to the social conditions needed to build trust in the health sector. Health professionals, organizations, and institutions should recognize not only the power that can be derived from the insights, artefacts, and expertise of artists and the arts to create the conditions that make trust possible. The health sector must also recognize that, while it can gain much from partnership with artists, artists risk much—namely, the public's trust—when they are in such partnerships. This essay unpacks these claims and considers the care and ethical considerations that must be brought to these partnerships to yield constructive pathways for ethical collaboration as well as for both establishing public trust and continuing to hold the health care profession accountable for becoming more trustworthy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is growing evidence for the impact of arts engagement on later life cognition. However, confounding by socioeconomic factors may have led to an overestimation of this association. We analyzed data from 4,344 older adults in the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study. We measured participatory (e.g. painting, making music, crafts) and receptive (e.g. concert, play, museum) arts engagement separately. Participants completed six neurocognitive tests measuring two distinct domains of cognitive function (episodic/working memory and executive function/language) concurrently and seven years later. We used inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) to remove confounding by a range of demographic and socioeconomic factors. Engaging in participatory or receptive arts for up to one hour per week (but not more frequently) was associated with better subsequent executive function/language. Similarly, engaging in receptive arts activities for up to three hours per week (but not more frequently) was associated with better subsequent episodic/working memory. These effects were of similar sizes to doing vigorous physical activity for up to one hour per week. However, our findings also highlight key methodological issues when exploring the relationship between arts engagement and cognition that should be considered in future studies, including measurement bias, life-course stage, length of follow-up, variation in outcomes, attrition, and missing data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While dance programs for people with Parkinson's disease (PD) have been developed globally over the past two decades, dance programs for people with multiple sclerosis (MS) are just emerging. This article introduces three dance for MS programs and a multi-site partnership that was developed to evaluate and advance a model for dance for MS programs. The program partners convened over 2 days to share program models, consider current and planned program evaluations, and identify unique challenges and promising practices for delivering safe and effective dance for MS programs. This paper presents the findings of this convening and recommendations for dance for MS programs. Background:While dance programs for people with Parkinson's disease (PD) have been developed globally over the past two decades, dance programs for people with multiple sclerosis (MS) are just emerging. This article introduces three dance for MS programs and a multi-site partnership that was developed to evaluate and advance a model for dance for MS programs. Methods: The program partners convened over 2 days to share program models, consider current and planned program evaluations, and identify unique challenges and promising practices for delivering safe and effective dance for MS programs. Results:A set of promising practices for dance for MS programs, including recommendations for partnership, dance and movement approaches, and environmental, physical and psychosocial considerations, was developed by the program partners. Conclusions: These programs suggest that dance may be a useful modality for people with MS. Recommendations are offered to guide safe and evidence-based dance for MS practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, increasing efforts have been made to apply arts- and culture-based strategies to public health concerns. Accumulating studies point to the value of these strategies for addressing social determinants of health in ways that center communities, cultures, and lived experiences. However, this work has lacked a common framework to support application and advancement. The objectives of this study were to examine knowledge, experience, and evidence related to the uses of arts and culture in public health in the United States and to develop a pilot version of an evidence-based framework to guide cross-sector development and research.Using a convergent mixed-methods design with sequential elements, this study drew upon findings from a national field survey, seven focus groups, eight structured working-group dialogues, and a five-day structured dialogue and writing process with 12 interdisciplinary thought leaders. Data were integrated to develop a pilot evidence-based framework.The study identified six broad ways in which arts and culture can be used in public health and 59 specific outcomes that can be addressed through arts and cultural strategies. The framework identifies evidence supporting the effects of arts and culture on each outcome, along with mechanisms that may mediate or moderate these effects.The pilot framework clearly links arts and culture practices with public health outcomes. In doing so, it provides both a resource for current practice and a model for the continued development of interdisciplinary tools that support health researchers and practitioners in utilizing arts and culture resources to advance community health and health equity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Guided by the hypothesis that the arts can play a role in changing attitudes, beliefs, and health behaviors, the objectives of the study were to (1) overview artistic practices, interventions, and research being conducted at the intersection of the arts and health communication and (2) identify desired and observed outcomes and variables measured in these studies. Data Source: The search strategy was developed iteratively with 2 health science librarians and conducted using 8 databases (Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts, Art and Architecture Source, CINAHL, Communication and Mass Media Complete, ERIC, PsycINFO, PubMed, and Web of Science) and hand searching. Articles included were published between 2014 and 2018. Study Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria: Inclusion criteria include US nonclinical setting and use of the arts (broadly defined) to change health knowledge, beliefs, behaviors, or awareness. Any articles not meeting inclusion criteria were excluded. Data Extraction: Covidence's data extraction tool exported to MS Excel. Data Synthesis: This final set of results was analyzed and synthesized by research design, population, sample size, health issue, purpose, variables measured, and findings. Results: In all, 78 articles met inclusion criteria. Number of participants ranged from 4 to 2140 (mean = 179); 61 (78.2%) outcome studies, including 8 experimental studies; 17 (21.79%) formative research or reports. Many different health topics were addressed and different art forms used. Conclusion: The arts can help build knowledge and awareness of health issues. The authors highlight the need to build an evidence base for arts and public health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A mapping project was conducted to document and describe arts in health programs in the state of Florida, USA. The project utilized a systematic process for identification, verification, analysis and mapping of programs through three primary methods: (1) systematic search; (2) verification; and (3) an online survey. The study identified and categorized 107 arts in health programs in Florida. The project suggests that mapping can be undertaken at the state level, and provides a starting point for development of a replicable systematic process for mapping arts in health programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An urgent need exists for trained specialists to manage organizational policies and practices involving arts programs and activities in healthcare facilities. This article introduces the field of arts in health and argues for what is currently needed within the academic and professional field of arts management to advance this emerging arena of arts management theory and practice. The authors integrate key references from existing scholarship alongside additional survey data to offer recommendations for developing professional management of the arts in healthcare facilities like hospitals, hospices, and long-term care centers. The article provides an overview of the responsibilities of arts managers in healthcare institutions, as well as insight into the knowledge, competencies, and skills that arts managers require to effectively work in these settings. The article concludes with articulating a conceptual framework for a long-term research trajectory to inform further advancement of this distinct sub-field of arts management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arts participation has been linked to positive health outcomes around the globe. As more research is taking place on this topic, there is heightened need for definitions for the complex concepts involved. While significant work to define “arts participation” has taken place in the arts sector, less work has been undertaken for the purpose of researching the arts in public health. This study developed a definition for “arts participation” to guide a national arts in public health research agenda and to advance and make more inclusive previous work to define the term. A convergent mixed-methods study design with sequential elements was used to iteratively develop a definition that integrated the perspectives of field experts as well as the general public. Literature review was followed by four iterative phases of data collection, analysis, and integration, and a proposed definition was iteratively revised at each stage. The final definition includes modes, or ways, in which people engage with the arts, and includes examples of various art forms intended to frame arts participation broadly and inclusively. This definition has the potential to help advance the quality and precision of research aimed at evaluating relationships between arts participation and health, as well as outcomes of arts-based health programs and interventions in communities. With its more inclusive framing than previous definitions, it can also help guide the development of more inclusive search strategies for evidence synthesis in this rapidly growing arena and assist researchers in developing more effective survey questions and instruments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arts engagement is a health-related behavior that may be influenced by social inequalities. While the COVID-19 pandemic provided new opportunities for some people to engage in the arts, it might have created barriers for others. We aimed to examine whether there was social patterning in home-based arts engagement during the pandemic in the United States, and whether predictors of engagement differed according to the type of arts activity. We included 4,731 adults who participated in the United States COVID-19 Social Study between April and July 2020. Three types of home-based arts engagement were considered: reading for pleasure, arts or crafts activities, and digital arts activities. Using logistic regression models, we tested cross-sectional associations between a broad range of demographic, socioeconomic, psychosocial, and health-related factors as well as adverse events and worries during lockdown and each type of arts engagement. The factors most strongly associated with all three types of arts engagement were social support, social network size, age, race/ethnicity, keyworker status, and experiencing physical or psychological abuse during the pandemic. However, most socioeconomic and health-related factors were not associated with arts engagement, including household income and mental and physical health problems. Overall, our findings indicate that the social gradient in arts engagement was reduced in the first 4 months of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. Given the health benefits of arts engagement, the potential diversification of arts audiences during the pandemic is promising for both population-level health and wellbeing and the future of the arts and cultural sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There has been tremendous progress linking the arts to health over the past five decades in the United States. An academic discipline has been clearly established through the development of programs at accredited universities, a growing body of research and dedicated field journals. However, significant inconsistencies in the use of language to reference the discipline pose challenges for practitioners, educators, policy-makers, service users and the public, and may impede progress. Methods: This descriptive study investigated the language used to reference the discipline informed by literature review, technical examination of language, a field survey and round-table dialog among educators. Results: The literature review revealed "arts and health" as the most common term used, which also was the preferred term for the greatest number of survey respondents (26%), followed by "arts, health and well-being" (22%) and "arts in health" (21%), confirming a general lack of consensus. Technical examination of language identified certain terms or phases as problematic. Dialog among round-table participants yielded the recommendation for "arts in health" as the term that, for educational purposes, may best describe the overarching discipline and be inclusive of both health care and community-based practices. Conclusions: A recommendation is made for use of the term "arts in health" to reference the discipline in educational programs in the U.S. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This qualitative interview study brings the voices of 27 public health leaders, health communication experts, and artists who work in public health in Uganda together to articulate the principles and practices that make the country a shining example of effective, evidence-based use of the arts for health communication. The specific aim of the study was to identify best practices, theoretical foundations, and other factors that contribute to the success of arts-based health communication campaigns in Uganda. The study presents four primary themes related to use of the arts for health communication in Uganda: (1) the arts empower health communication; (2) the arts engage people emotionally; (3) effective programs are highly structured; and (4) professionalism is critical to program effectiveness. The findings suggest that the arts humanize, clarify, and empower health communication. The arts can attract attention and engage target populations, reduce hierarchical divisions and tensions that can challenge communication between health professionals and community members, make concepts clearer and more personally and culturally relevant, and communicate at an emotional level wherein concepts can be embodied and made actionable. The findings articulate why and how the arts are an effective means for health communication and can guide best practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Arts in medicine programs have significant impacts on patients and staff in long-term care environments, but the literature lacks evidence of effectiveness on hospital units with shorter average lengths of stay.Methods: The qualitative study used individual structured interviews to assess the impacts of arts programming on job satisfaction, stress, unit culture, support, quality of care, and patient outcomes on a short-term medical-surgical unit, and used a qualitative cross comparison grounded theory methodology to analyze data.Results: The study confirmed that arts programming can positively affect unit culture, nursing practice, and quality of care on short-stay medical-surgical units. Significant insights related to nursing practice and the art program were found, including that music can cause negative distraction for staff.Conclusions: While positive impacts of arts programming on the medical-surgical environment are clear, potential negative effects also need to be considered in the development of practice protocols for artists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The arts in healthcare in the United States is a field emerged from grassroots beginnings in the mid-twentieth century. Through an overview of the field's development as well as consideration of practice, research, and educational structures, this paper summarizes the current state of the field in the United States. Practice is explored in the context of types of programs, recent field assessments, geographic prevalence of programs, funding mechanisms, and organization of the field. Research is considered in the context of evaluation, traditional research, economic studies, theoretical frameworks, and academic centers, as well as non-academic centers that support field research. The final section explores education and training standards and programs conducted by universities and non-academic organizations, and the roles of the arts and humanities in the education of health professionals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cross-sectional and some longitudinal evidence suggests doing hobbies can reduce substance use, but findings have been inconsistent, and whether associations differ across adolescence remains unclear. This study included 7454 Add Health participants (50% female, 77% White, age mean=14.95 and SD = 1.56). Participants were split into three groups, according to whether they were early (aged 11–14 at baseline), mid (aged 15–16), or late (aged 17–20) adolescents at baseline. The trajectories of binge drinking, marijuana, and tobacco use were analysed in latent growth models across Waves 1–5 (1994–2018). Concurrent associations between substance use and hobby engagement were tested at Waves 1–3 separately in the three age groups. Doing hobbies more frequently was associated with lower odds of binge drinking and marijuana and tobacco use in early adolescence. Although there was initially a similar protective association in mid and late adolescence, this had reversed by Wave 3 for binge drinking and marijuana use, when participants were young adults. This change in the association could be a result of differing social contexts, changes in peer influence, or an indication that creative hobbies are particularly beneficial. It could explain previous inconsistent findings and demonstrates the importance of considering developmental differences when investigating engagement in hobbies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Study Objective. Suicide is a serious health problem that is shaped by a variety of social and mental health factors. A growing body of research connects the arts to positive health outcomes; however, no previous systematic reviews have examined the use of the arts in suicide prevention and survivorship. This review examined how the arts have been used to address suicide prevention and survivorship in nonclinical settings in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America. Design and Setting. Ten bibliographic databases, five research repositories, and reference sections of articles were searched to identify published studies. Articles presenting outcomes of interventions conducted between 2014 and 2019 and written in English, were included. Primary Results. Nine studies met inclusion criteria, including qualitative, quantitative randomized controlled trials, quantitative nonrandomized, quantitative descriptive, and mixed-methods studies. The programs studied used film and television (n = 3), mixed-arts (n = 3), theatre (n = 2), and quilting (n = 1). All nine interventions used the arts to elicit emotional involvement, while seven also used the arts to encourage engagement with themes of health. Study outcomes included increased self-efficacy, awareness of mental health issues, and likelihood for taking action to prevent suicide, as well as decreases in suicidal risk and self-harming behaviors. Conclusions. Factors that influence suicide risk and survivorship may be effectively addressed through arts-based interventions. While the current evidence is promising with regard to the potential for arts programs to positively affect suicide prevention and survivorship, this evidence needs to be supplemented to inform recommendations for evidence-based arts interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The arts—and the arts and culture sector—offer fertile ground for achieving a culture of health in the United States. The arts and artists are agents of change and can help enable this vision and also address the most critical public health issues we are contending with, including COVID-19 and racism. The arts provide means for engaging dialogue, influencing behaviors, disrupting paradigms and fueling social movements. The arts uncover and illuminate issues. They engage us emotionally and intellectually. They challenge assumptions. They call out injustice. They drive collective action. They heal—making arts + public health collaboration very relevant in this historic moment. In this special Health Promotion Practice supplement on arts in public health, you'll find powerful examples and evidence of how cross-sector collaboration between public health and the arts can advance health promotion goals and impacts, and make health promotion programs not only more accessible to diverse populations but also more equitable and effective in addressing the upstream systems, policies, and structures that create health disparities. You will see how the arts can empower health communication, support health literacy, provide direct and measurable health benefits to individuals and communities, and support coping and resilience in response to COVID-19. This issue itself exemplifies cross-sector collaboration, as it was created through partnership between Health Promotion Practice, the Society for Public Health Education, ArtPlace America, and the University of Florida Center for Arts in Medicine, and presents voices from across the public health, arts, and community development sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous work suggests mediating effects of music on acute pain processing. This quasi-experimental pilot study examined the effects of music on experimental pain sensitivity. Healthy adults (N = 40) completed quantitative sensory tests during three music conditions (silence, listening, and singing). Repeated Measures ANOVA , Friedman's Test, and post hoc comparisons determined differences in pain intensity and time to cold pain threshold and tolerance between conditions.. Pearson partial correlations evaluated the association of musical factorswith pain sensitivity. Participants demonstrated longer time intervals until perceiving pain and tolerated pain for longer durations when singing compared to listening. Greater self-reported singing proficiency was associated with higher tolerance. Several musical factors were significantly correlated with time from pain threshold to reaching tolerance. Singing during an acute painful stimulus may increase tolerance. Various musical characteristics impact volunteers' central pain responses and singing may be an important adjunct pain management strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives There is evidence to suggest that leisure engagement may influence self-perceptions of aging, but disentangling potential bidirectionality in this relationship is challenging. A better understanding of the directionality of this association is essential for designing more effective interventions to promote healthy aging. We, therefore, tested concurrent effects and lagged effects in both directions for a univariate measure of leisure engagement as well as specific domains of community, cognitive, creative, and physical activities. Methods A total of 17,753 adults aged 50 or above living in the United States from the Health and Retirement Study were included in the analysis. They provided 32,703 observations over 3 waves between 2008/2010 and 2016/2018. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling with both concurrent and lagged associations between self-perceptions of aging and leisure engagement, controlling for confounders including age, gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic position, and health conditions. Results We found consistent evidence for leisure engagement as a predictor of self-perceptions of aging. There was also evidence for a reciprocal relationship where leisure engagement was predicted by older adults' self-perceptions of aging. Similar results were observed for specific domains of leisure engagement. Discussion Our findings provide empirical support for the potential benefits of leisure engagement on positive self-perceptions of aging, regardless of the type of activities. Our study also highlights the importance to consider the directionality in researching leisure engagement and self-perceptions of aging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A letter is presented from the president, Jill Sonke and executive director, Anita B. Boles of the Society for the Arts in Healthcare to the members and readers of the "Arts and Health: An International Journal for Research, Policy and Practice," Volume 3.

The article presents an introduction to the papers published in the journal including an overview of the state of mental health in Australia, one article on innovative research on how visual arts enhance mental healthcare environments and one on a unique puppetry intervention program developed to guide and motivate families to reduce television viewing time.

Adolescent externalising behaviours are associated with numerous long-term negative outcomes, although most research is intervention-based as opposed to risk reduction. Arts engagement has been associated with numerous beneficial factors linked to externalising behaviours, yet direct evidence linking them in longitudinal studies is lacking. Data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study were used, with baseline at 5th grade and outcomes measured at 8th grade. Ordinary least squares (OLS) regression was used to examine individual-level associations between extracurricular and school-based arts engagement with externalising behaviours. OLS regression was also used to examine associations between school-level arts classes and facilities with an administrator-reported index of externalising behaviours in the school. All models were adjusted for sociodemographic factors. Individual-level analyses were clustered by school. At the individual level, engaging in a greater number of extracurricular arts activities was associated with fewer externalising behaviours, although there was no association for school-based arts engagement. There were no school-level associations between arts classes or adequate arts facilities and externalising behaviours. Our results suggest extracurricular arts activities may be beneficial in reducing the risk for externalising behaviours, but the relationship is seen at an individual-level of engagement rather than based on school-level provision or facilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Although arts engagement holds promise for reducing loneliness and enhancing social support, previous research has focussed on older adults. We investigated whether arts engagement was associated with loneliness and social support during adolescence. Methods: We included 11,780 adolescents aged 11–21 years from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, a nationally representative cohort study. We measured whether adolescents engaged in school-based arts activities (band, book club, chorus, choir, cheerleading, dance, drama club, newspaper, orchestra) at wave one (1994–1995). Loneliness and perceived social support from peers were measured at waves one and two (1996). We used logistic regression to test whether arts engagement was associated with concurrent and subsequent loneliness and social support. Results: Arts engagement was not associated with concurrent or subsequent loneliness. Compared to not engaging, doing one or more school-based arts activities was associated with 59% higher odds of high social support concurrently (odds ratio [OR] = 1.59, 95% CI = 1.32–1.91). However, this cross-sectional association was attenuated after adjusting for demographic, socioeconomic, and health-related covariates (adjusted OR [AOR] = 1.16, 95% CI = 0.95–1.42). In contrast, doing arts activities was associated with 28% higher odds of reporting high social support one year later (AOR = 1.28, 95% CI = 1.03–1.59), independent of covariates and previous social support. Conclusions: Extracurricular arts activities are associated with increased odds of reporting good subsequent social support from peers. This may be because they provide opportunities for social engagement, developing friendships, and building a sense of community. Exploring these associations in more detail should be a priority, enabling better understanding of this strategy for enhancing social ties during adolescence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arts and cultural engagement is a potential strategy for reducing or preventing reportedly antisocial or criminalized behaviors (those previously and problematically termed as "delinquent") in adolescence. However, most research to date has focused on arts-based interventions and has not tested arts and cultural engagement in large population-based longitudinal studies. This study investigated whether arts and cultural engagement reduced reportedly antisocial or criminalized behaviors in two large nationally representative cohorts, the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (n = 10,610; 50% female, 72% White, age range = 11–21 mean = 15.07) and the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (n = 15,214; 50% female, 73% White, age range = 13–16 mean = 14.38). Structural equation modelling also allowed exploration of two potential mechanisms that might link arts and cultural engagement to reportedly antisocial or criminalized behaviors (self-control and attitudes towards these behaviors). More arts and cultural engagement was associated with fewer reportedly antisocial or criminalized behaviors, better self-control scores, and fewer positive perceptions of reportedly antisocial or criminalized behaviors concurrently and one to two years later. Arts and cultural engagement may provide opportunities for adolescents to realize positive developmental outcomes, reducing their risk of reportedly antisocial or criminalized behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is mounting anecdotal and empirical evidence that gardening and art-making afford therapeutic benefits. Objectives: This randomly controlled pilot study tested the hypothesis that participation in group-based indoor gardening or art-making activities for one hour twice a week for four weeks would provide quantifiably different therapeutic benefits to a population of healthy women ages 26–49. Methods: A population of 42 volunteers was randomly assigned to parallel gardening or art-making treatment groups. A total of 36 participants initiated the treatment protocol and 32 (Gardening n = 15 and Art n = 17) received the interventions and completed all assessments. Treatments included eight one-hour group-based gardening or art intervention sessions. Self-report psychometric assessments were conducted for anxiety, depression symptomatology, mood disturbance, stress, satisfaction with discretionary social activities, and quality of life measures. Cardiac physiological data were also collected. Outcomes were measured at baseline, during, and post-intervention. Results: Engaging in both gardening and art-making activities resulted in apparent therapeutic improvements for self-reported total mood disturbance, depression symptomatology, and perceived stress with different effect sizes following eight one-hour treatment sessions. Gardening also resulted in improvements for indications of trait anxiety. Based on time-course evidence, dosage responses were observed for total mood disturbance, perceived stress, and depression symptomatology for both gardening and art-making. However, gardening or art-making did not have an apparent influence on heart rate or blood pressure or result in marked improvement for satisfaction with discretionary leisure activities. Conclusion: The data did not support the hypothesis of differential therapeutic benefits of gardening and art-making for healthy women. When taken together, group-based gardening or art-making can provide quantitatively measurable improvements in healthy women's psychosocial health status that imply potentially important public health benefits. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03266120. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Arts and cultural engagement are associated with a range of mental and physical health benefits, including promoting heathy aging and lower incidence of age-related disabilities such as slower cognitive decline and slower progression of frailty. This suggests arts engagement constitutes health-promoting behaviour in older age. However, there are no large-scale studies examining how the predictors of arts engagement vary with age. Methods: Data from the Health and Retirement Study (2014) were used to identify sociodemographic, life satisfaction, social, and arts appreciation predictors of (1) frequency of arts engagement, (2) cultural attendance, (3) difficulty participating in the arts, and (4) being an interested non-attendee of cultural events. Logistic regression models were stratified by age groups [50–59, 60–69, ≥70] for the frequency of arts participation outcome and [50–69 vs ≥70] all other outcomes. Results: Findings indicated a number of age-related predictors of frequent arts engagement, including gender, educational attainment, wealth, dissatisfaction with aging, and instrumental activities of daily living (iADL). For cultural event attendance, lower interest in the arts predicted lack of engagement across age groups, whereas higher educational attainment and more frequent religious service attendance became predictors in older age groups (≥ 70). Adults in both age groups were less likely to report difficulties engaging in the arts if they had lower neighbourhood safety, whilst poor self-rated health and low arts appreciation also predicted reduced likelihood of this outcome, but only in the younger (50–69) age group. Adults in the older (≥ 70) age group were more likely to be interested non-attendees of cultural events if they had higher educational attainment and less likely if they lived in neighbourhoods with low levels of safety. Conclusions: Our results suggest that certain factors become stronger predictors of arts and cultural engagement and barriers to engagement as people age. Further, there appear to be socioeconomic inequalities in engagement that may increase in older ages, with arts activities overall more accessible as individuals age compared to cultural engagement due to additional financial barriers and transportation barriers. Ensuring that these activities are accessible to people of all ages will allow older adults to benefit from the range of health outcomes gained from arts and cultural engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Engaging in the arts is a health-related behavior that may be influenced by social inequalities. While it is generally accepted that there is a social gradient in traditional arts and cultural activities, such as attending classical music performances and museums, previous studies of arts engagement in the US have not adequately investigated whether similar demographic and socioeconomic factors are related to other forms of arts engagement.Methods: Using cross-sectional data from the General Social Survey (GSS) in the US, we examined which demographic, socioeconomic, residential, and health factors were associated with attendance at arts events, participation in arts activities, membership of creative groups, and being interested in (but not attending) arts events. We combined data from 1993 to 2016 in four analytical samples with a sample size of 8684 for arts events, 4372 for arts activities, 4268 for creative groups, and 2061 for interested non-attendees. Data were analysed using logistic regression.Results: More education was associated with increased levels of all types of arts engagement. Parental education demonstrated a similar association. Being female, compared to male, was also consistently associated with higher levels of engagement. Attendance at arts events was lower in participants with lower income and social class, poorer health, and those living in less urban areas. However, these factors were not associated with participation in arts activities or creative groups or being an interested non-attendee.Conclusions: Overall, we found evidence for a social gradient in attendance at arts events, which was not as pronounced in participation in arts activities or creative groups or interest in arts events. Given the many benefits of engagement in the arts for education, health, and wider welfare, our findings demonstrate the importance of identifying factors to reduce barriers to participation in the arts across all groups in society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arts engagement is associated with prolonged longevity, but it remains unclear whether it is also associated with increases in the portion of people's lives for which they remain healthy. We investigated whether receptive and participatory arts engagement were associated with healthy aging two and four years later. We included 1269 older adults from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), a longitudinal study of individuals aged 50 and above in the United States. Participants who completed the HRS 2014 Culture and the Arts Module and who were alive in 2016 and 2018 were eligible. We measured the number of participatory arts activities engaged in (e.g., crafts, dancing) and frequency of receptive arts engagement (e.g., going to a gallery or performance) in the past year. Healthy aging was a binary outcome, conceptualized as no major chronic diseases, no cognitive impairment, good physical functioning, and good mental health. In logistic regression models, doing receptive arts once a month or more was associated with higher odds of healthy aging four years later compared to never engaging (odds ratio [OR] = 1.80, 95% CI = 1.10, 2.96). However, this evidence was attenuated after adjusting for demographic and socioeconomic covariates (adjusted OR = 1.44, 95% CI = 0.84, 2.46). The number of participatory arts activities engaged in was not associated with healthy aging two or four years later. In sensitivity analyses, there was some evidence that receptive engagement was associated specifically with higher odds of good physical functioning four years later. The lack of consistent associations between receptive and participatory arts engagement and healthy aging was unexpected given previous evidence for links between arts engagement and each of the four domains of healthy aging. Our findings highlight key methodological issues that should be explored in further research with larger nationally representative samples, longer follow-ups, and more detailed measures of arts engagement. • Some evidence that receptive arts engagement supported healthy aging 4 years later • Association driven by higher odds of good physical functioning 4 years later • No evidence that participatory arts engagement was associated with healthy aging • Inconsistent evidence overall highlights methodological issues for further research [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arts programs are increasingly recognized for their ability to enhance healthcare and promote health outcomes such as improved quality of life, increased motivation and reduced levels of depression and anxiety. This manuscript describes a creative arts therapy practice known as the Rural Veterans TeleRehabilitation Initiative Creative Arts Therapy (RVTRI CAT) Project that was established to improve access to mental health care and rehabilitation for rural veterans. Entering its third year, the RVTRI CAT project has adapted the creative arts therapies for delivery using Clinical Video Telehealth (CVT). Insights, considerations and best practices are considered for art therapy and dance/movement therapy with implications for future application in music, drama and poetry therapy. In conclusion, the RVTRI CAT program demonstrates that creative arts therapy can successfully be adapted to CVT with some modifications by the creative arts therapist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A correction is presented to the article "Arts and Cultural Engagement, Reportedly Antisocial or Criminalized Behaviors, and Potential Mediators in Two Longitudinal Cohorts of Adolescents" which appeared in the September 1, 2022 issue of the magazine.

Receptive cultural engagement (e.g. attending theaters and museums) can reduce depression in older adults. However, whether specific participatory leisure activities are associated with lower rates of depression remains unknown. We aimed to test whether engagement in a diverse range of leisure activities, all of which could involve artistic or creative elements, was associated with concurrent and subsequent depression. Using longitudinal data from 19,134 participants aged over 50 in the Health and Retirement Study, engagement in leisure activities was measured every four years, and depression every two years, between 2008 and 2016. Leisure activities included: reading books, magazines, or newspapers; writing; baking/cooking something special; making clothes, knitting, or embroidery (sewing); working on hobbies/projects; going to sport, social, or other clubs; and attending non-religious organization meetings. A score of three or more on the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale indicated depression. We fitted population-averaged panel data models using generalized estimating equations with a logit link. Engaging in some leisure activities, such as clubs, hobbies/projects, and baking/cooking was associated with reduced depression, independent of confounders. Concurrently, spending time on hobbies/projects (monthly OR = 0.80, 95% CI = 0.72–0.88; weekly OR = 0.81, 95% CI = 0.73–0.89) and clubs (monthly OR = 0.85, 95% CI = 0.77–0.94; weekly OR = 0.78, 95% CI = 0.69–0.88) was associated with lower odds of depression versus not engaging. Longitudinally, the odds of depression two years later were reduced amongst people engaging in weekly baking/cooking (OR = 0.85, 95% CI = 0.75–0.95), hobbies (OR = 0.81, 95% CI = 0.71–0.92), and clubs (OR = 0.82, 95% CI = 0.71–0.94). Writing, reading, sewing, and attending non-religious organizations were not consistently associated with depression. Engagement in some leisure activities is associated with reduced odds of depression. We should consider how older adults can be supported to actively participate in leisure activities as health-promoting behaviors. • Some leisure activities associated with reduced odds of depression in older adults. • Going to sport, social, or other clubs most strongly associated with less depression. • Doing hobbies/projects and baking/cooking something special also associated. • No evidence that more artistic or creative activities were associated with depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]