Royal Society for Public Health launches two Creative Health special editions of 'Perspectives in Public Health'
A first for the journal
Perspectives in Public Health, published by the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH), is one of the UK's leading public health journals. Its new open access collection, out today and guest edited by Arts Council England and the National Centre for Creative Health (NCCH), explores how creative health is being embedded across health, care, cultural and community settings. It brings together emerging evidence and practical examples of innovation from across the country.
The call for submissions drew such a response that the journal decided to publish two special editions, something it has never done before. It’s a sign of how much interest there is in creative health, and how quickly the evidence base is growing.
Contributors include researchers, practitioners, policymakers, artists, cultural organisations and health leaders, writing on health inequalities, community power, systems change, cross-sector collaboration, social prescribing and quality improvement.
Featured papers
The editions build on a substantial body of evidence showing that engagement in arts, culture and creativity can support physical health, mental health and social wellbeing across the life course. They reinforce the case for creative and cultural activities to be recognised as an essential part of health and wellbeing, complementing clinical and community-based interventions and contributing to a more equitable and person-centred health system.
Children and young people
Developing public health policy with children and young people through the arts in Newcastle
(L Brennan, V Sanderson, L Mae Kroese and A Wiseman)
‘When I create, I am free and happy’: young people’s experiences of arts engagement and what they mean for public mental health policy
(E Bahr, AK Rodriguez, Y Chen, A Shaheed and N Sajnani)
Health literacy and inclusion
Communicating cancer: forum theatre with African and Caribbean communities, a culturally responsive approach to early head and neck cancer detection
(J Deane, L Sharp and colleagues)
Improving health literacy and confidence through drama for people facing language barriers
(AK Smith and M Gibbon)
Partnerships and systems change
Creative Health Associates and the Two Loops model of systems change, with key insights for the field
(J Hearst, J Howard, G Buckland and B Crosland)
Collaborative governance for creative health: initial programme theories for collaborating across sectors and disciplines
(C Dayson and colleagues)
The developing impacts of the Creative Health Quality Framework on practice and partnership
(V Hume, J Willis and E O’Halloran)
Creative health and community assets
Creative health assets in Staffordshire: harnessing community power to tackle health inequalities
(R Marsden)
Alexandra Coulter, Director of the National Centre for Creative Health, said:
“The National Centre for Creative Health is delighted to be a partner in the publication of these Creative Health special editions of Perspectives in Public Health.
"The special editions provide an important platform for disseminating the latest evidence in research, policy and practice to a wide audience in public health and beyond. Creative health is increasingly being recognised and valued across health and care systems and the special editions will enable further opportunities for embedding it in national and regional policy.”
William Roberts, Chief Executive at the Royal Society for Public Health, said:
“As health inequalities continue to widen, it is important that we find new ways to support prevention and help people lead healthier lives. The research published in this issue highlights just how important a role creativity can play in supporting better health.
"We are thrilled to work with Arts Council England and the National Centre for Creative Health to bring together this collection of research, policy insights and practice. We hope that it will continue to further the case for the use of creativity across health, care, cultural and community settings to build a healthier future for all.”
Join the launch webinar
To mark the launch, RSPH is holding a free online webinar today, Tuesday 13 October, 1-2pm, in collaboration with Arts Council England and NCCH.
We’ll hear from researchers from Mobilising Community Assets to Tackle Health Inequalities, a programme exploring how collaborative community, cultural and nature-based activities can reduce health inequalities across the UK.
Speakers include:
- Darren Henley CBE, Arts Council England
- Professor Helen Chatterjee, NCCH trustee and lead of the AHRC Mobilising Community Assets programme
- Teresa Salami-Oru, NCCH trustee, Consultant in Public Health and Fellow of the Faculty of Public Health
