Art as a prescription

  25th March 2021

Newly published research shows that creative arts courses can have real and tangible benefits to our general wellbeing, as well as help those diagnosed with depression and anxiety to develop coping mechanisms and improve their health.

The University of Gloucestershire has been working with specialist creative health charity, Artlift, to develop the largest dataset of arts on prescription participants in the world.

Arts on prescription (also called exercise on prescription) courses are weekly sessions of recreational activity prescribed to patients from primary or secondary care.

Researchers have been evaluating Artlift’s programmes including mosaic making, poetry and playwriting, watercolour painting and photography, for nearly a decade. Courses now also span more contemporary art forms such as hip-hop dance and graffiti. You can read more about this story on the university website.