Ekaterina Anderson, Makayla Dones, Adena Cohen-Bearak, Anna Barker, Justeen Hyde, Barbara Bokhour
{"title":"Promoting Health and Wellbeing Through Non-Clinical Arts Programming: Multi-Stakeholder Perspectives From the Veterans Health Administration.","authors":"Ekaterina Anderson, Makayla Dones, Adena Cohen-Bearak, Anna Barker, Justeen Hyde, Barbara Bokhour","doi":"10.1177/08901171241261887","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>While the value of art therapy is well-established and arts are increasingly leveraged to promote health and wellbeing more broadly, little is known about the impacts of non-clinical arts programs. In this preliminary investigation, we sought to fill this gap by exploring diverse stakeholders' perspectives on the impacts of non-clinical arts programming on Veterans receiving care at the Veterans Health Administration (VA).</p><p><strong>Design: </strong>Semi-structured qualitative interviews with Veterans, VA staff, and community partners.</p><p><strong>Setting: </strong>Interviewees were recruited from 7 VA medical centers that have recently implemented non-clinical arts programming to promote Veterans' health and wellbeing, some of them in partnership with community organizations.</p><p><strong>Participants: </strong>33 individuals were interviewed, including 9 Veterans, 14 VA staff, and 10 community partners involved in non-clinical arts program implementation.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>Interview transcripts were analyzed using iterative rounds of qualitative content analysis.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The following impacts on Veterans were described: (1) mental health improvements, (2) renewed sense of purpose; (3) increased social connectedness, (4) improved self-esteem, and (5) self-driven engagement in art activities.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Non-clinical arts programming was perceived by diverse stakeholders to offer important benefits for Veterans' health and well-being. Offering non-clinical arts programming inside and outside healthcare facilities' walls is a promising direction for the field of public health undergoing a shift towards holistic approaches to improving individual and population health outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":7481,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Health Promotion","volume":" ","pages":"1229-1237"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5000,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"American Journal of Health Promotion","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1177/08901171241261887","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2024/6/13 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Purpose: While the value of art therapy is well-established and arts are increasingly leveraged to promote health and wellbeing more broadly, little is known about the impacts of non-clinical arts programs. In this preliminary investigation, we sought to fill this gap by exploring diverse stakeholders' perspectives on the impacts of non-clinical arts programming on Veterans receiving care at the Veterans Health Administration (VA).
Design: Semi-structured qualitative interviews with Veterans, VA staff, and community partners.
Setting: Interviewees were recruited from 7 VA medical centers that have recently implemented non-clinical arts programming to promote Veterans' health and wellbeing, some of them in partnership with community organizations.
Participants: 33 individuals were interviewed, including 9 Veterans, 14 VA staff, and 10 community partners involved in non-clinical arts program implementation.
Method: Interview transcripts were analyzed using iterative rounds of qualitative content analysis.
Results: The following impacts on Veterans were described: (1) mental health improvements, (2) renewed sense of purpose; (3) increased social connectedness, (4) improved self-esteem, and (5) self-driven engagement in art activities.
Conclusion: Non-clinical arts programming was perceived by diverse stakeholders to offer important benefits for Veterans' health and well-being. Offering non-clinical arts programming inside and outside healthcare facilities' walls is a promising direction for the field of public health undergoing a shift towards holistic approaches to improving individual and population health outcomes.
期刊介绍:
The editorial goal of the American Journal of Health Promotion is to provide a forum for exchange among the many disciplines involved in health promotion and an interface between researchers and practitioners.