McQuade L, O'Sullivan R
Institute of Public Health in Ireland, Gloucester Street, Belfast, UK.
Institute of Public Health in Ireland, 6th Floor, City Exchange, Gloucester Street, Belfast, BT1 4JH, UK.
Perspect Public Health. 2024 Nov;144(6):344-353. doi: 10.1177/17579139231157533. Epub 2023 Mar 11.
There is a growing recognition of the contribution that participation in group-based arts and creativity interventions makes to our health and wellbeing. Despite this acknowledgement, more empirical investigation is required to more fully understand its impact. The aim of this mixed-method systematic review was to develop a better understanding of the evidence on the impact of arts and creativity on older people's physical and psychological health and wellbeing.
Extensive searches of 14 electronic bibliographic databases were carried out using predefined search criteria for the period 2013-2020. Ninety-three studies were included within the review and appraised using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT).
Dance was the most common form of arts identified within studies, followed by music and singing. Dance was associated with improved balance, lower body physical strength, flexibility, and aerobic fitness in older adults. Promising evidence showed that music and singing on a regular basis were associated with improved cognitive function, quality of life, affective states and a sense of wellbeing in older adults. Preliminary evidence showed that visual and creative arts were associated with reduced feelings of loneliness, improved sense of community and social connectedness. Initial evidence showed that theatre and drama were associated with emotional wellbeing; however, more evidence is required in this area.
The evidence shows that participation in group-based arts and creativity can have positive physical, mental, and social health impacts for older adults, ageing and for population health. These findings support the importance of participation in the arts for older adults, especially for the promotion of positive health and for the prevention, or mitigation, of ill health in later life for both public health and the arts and creativity agenda.
人们越来越认识到参与基于群体的艺术和创意干预对我们的健康和幸福所做的贡献。尽管有这种认识，但仍需要更多实证研究来更全面地了解其影响。这项混合方法系统评价的目的是更好地理解关于艺术和创意对老年人身心健康及幸福影响的证据。
使用预定义的搜索标准，对14个电子书目数据库进行了广泛搜索，涵盖2013年至2020年期间。93项研究纳入了该评价，并使用混合方法评价工具（MMAT）进行评估。
舞蹈是研究中确定的最常见艺术形式，其次是音乐和唱歌。舞蹈与老年人平衡能力的改善、下肢力量、柔韧性和有氧适能的提高有关。有前景的证据表明，定期的音乐和唱歌与老年人认知功能的改善、生活质量、情感状态和幸福感有关。初步证据表明，视觉艺术和创意艺术与孤独感的降低、社区意识和社会联系的改善有关。初步证据表明，戏剧与情绪健康有关；然而，这一领域还需要更多证据。
证据表明，参与基于群体的艺术和创意对老年人、老龄化群体及人群健康可产生积极的身体、心理和社会健康影响。这些发现支持了老年人参与艺术活动的重要性，特别是对于促进积极健康以及预防或减轻晚年疾病，这对公共卫生以及艺术和创意议程都很重要。
