Brief #1: Governmental Advisory Brief for State Agencies and Organizations

Issued September 19, 2019, at the National Association for State Arts Agencies Leadership Institute in Providence, Rhode Island

Leveraging Arts and Cultural Assets to Address Urgent Health Challenges

How Cross-sector Collaboration can Advance Local and State Health Goals

Many of the most pressing health challenges being faced at local and state levels are linked to social determinants of health. The national Creating Health Communities: Arts + Public Health in America initiative has documented how cross-sector collaborations leverage communities’ existing resources—including arts and cultural assets—to address complex health concerns such as mental and rural health, health care access, and social cohesion. The initiative’s research and resources offer examples and recommendations for how arts and cultural assets can be leveraged to advance health and health equity. 

This brief advises increased collaborative action at the state level toward health equity and a culture of health, and offers recommendations and examples for such action.

Download the brief here

Copyright © September 2019. University of Florida Center for Arts in Medicine / ArtPlace America, LLC. Permission is granted for reproduction of this file, with attribution to University of Florida Center for Arts in Medicine / ArtPlace 

Brief #2: Governmental Advisory Brief for Local and County Agencies and Organizations

Issued February 14, 2020, in partnership with the National Network of Public Health Institutes (NNPHI)

Leveraging Arts and Cultural Assets to Address Urgent Health Challenges

How Cross-sector Collaboration can Advance City and County Health Goals

Many of the most pressing health challenges being faced by communities in the U.S. are linked to social determinants of health. In response, the national Creating Health Communities: Arts + Public Health in America initiative has documented how communities can leverage existing resources—including arts and cultural assets—to address complex health concerns such as substance abuse, gun violence, health care access, chronic disease, and social cohesion. This new brief advises increased collaborative action at the city and county level toward health equity and a culture of health, and offers recommendations and examples for such action.

Download the brief here

Copyright © September 2019. University of Florida Center for Arts in Medicine / ArtPlace America, LLC. Permission is granted for reproduction of this file, with attribution to University of Florida Center for Arts in Medicine / ArtPlace 

Citations (#1):

Fancourt, D., & Steptoe, A. (2019). Effects of creativity on social and behavioral adjustment in 7‐to 11‐year‐old children. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1438(1), 30.; 

Fancourt, D., Tymoszuk, U. (2018). Cultural engagement and incident depression in older adults: evidence from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. British Journal of Psychiatry

Fancourt, D., Steptoe, A., Cadar,D. (2018). Cultural engagement and cognitive reserve: museum attendance is inversely associated with dementia incidence over a 10-year period. British Journal of Psychiatry

Fancourt D, Finn S. What is the evidence on the role of the arts in improving health and well-being? A scoping review. Copenhagen: WHO Regional Office for Europe; 2019 (Health Evidence Network (HEN) synthesis report 67).

https://arts.ufl.edu/sites/creating-healthy-communities/resources/advisory-briefs/advisory-brief-summary/