Crafting During Coronavirus: participatory methods with older adults during COVID-19.

When coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) took hold, the everyday voices of older adults were frequently overlooked politically, socially and economically. The Crafting During Coronavirus creative, participatory project sought to explore the everyday role of crafting during COVID-19. It was imperative to conduct research with participants in a way that could be a source of positivity especially during a crisis. Using a combination of digital and tangible methods (diaries, photographs, emails and crafted postcards), this project aimed to create a space where participants could narrate, shape, revisit and reflect upon their experiences and their making at a time that suited them. Combining these approaches in a flexible manner, allowed data to be collected and pieced together with older participants to form a patchwork with breadth and depth of everyday narratives during COVID-19.

Effects of arts and medicine salon events on wellness of participants.

Context: In the early 20th century artists and scientists would gather together for mutual fellowship in salons. These events would allow sharing of ideas and experiences and led to new creative endeavors. This type of interaction may lead to increased wellness. Primary care specialties see large volumes of patients which would benefit from physicians who are well versed in the humanities. These salon events may lead to increased humanities understanding as well as increased wellness. Objective: We sought to recreate these events in a 21st century environment. With the onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic, we switched events to a virtual format and chose to evaluate the impact of the events on the wellness of the participants. Study Design: We used a mixed methods survey to identify the impact and effectiveness of the virtual events. The survey used a combination of scaled and open-ended questions to evaluate the impact of the events and the pandemic on participants. Setting: 7 Arts & Medicine Salon events were held, 3 in person and 4 virtually. We analyzed the data from the virtual events. Population: Academic & Community Physicians, Scientists, Artists and learners training in those professions. Outcome Measures: We asked participants to rate and describe the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on their wellbeing as well as the impact and effectiveness of the events both before and after the start of the global pandemic. Results: Both qualitative and quantitative data demonstrated a positive effect from the events on participants. The qualitative data was very strongly in favor of the events being helpful. The quantitative data was less exuberant. For some participants the events were felt to be integral to their ability to connect to the arts and other like-minded participants and were successful in mitigating the negative wellness effects of Covd-19. Conclusions: Learners and Professionals reported positive outcomes in both health and wellness from attending the virtual art and medicine salon events. There is a need for further research on the subject and experimentation with the events. This study was supported by a NIH Clinical and Translational Science Award Grant (UL1 TR002366) awarded to the University of Kansas Medical Center.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure-the arts as a vehicle for knowledge translation and exchange (KTE) in public health during a pandemic: a realist-informed developmental evaluation research protocol.

INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 crisis has led to the adoption of strict and coercive preventive measures. The implementation of these measures has generated negative impacts for many communities. The situation is especially worrisome for Indigenous communities in Peru. Therefore, it is necessary to recognise the contribution of the experiential knowledge of Indigenous communities and to implement innovative approaches. The use of art can be a promising avenue for working in partnership with Indigenous communities.The goal of this research is to (1) develop an intervention promoting barrier measures and vaccination to limit the transmission of COVID-19 among Indigenous communities using an arts-based and community-based knowledge translation and exchange (ACKTE) model; and (2) understand the contextual elements and mechanisms associated with the process of developing a preventive intervention using the ACKTE model. METHODOLOGY AND ANALYSIS: This research will take place in Indigenous communities in Peru and will be based on a developmental evaluation guided by the principles of realist evaluation. Members of two Indigenous communities, local authorities, health professionals and artists will participate in the intervention development process as well as in the developmental evaluation. For data collection, we will conduct modified talking circles and semistructured individual interviews with stakeholders as well as an analysis of documents and artistic works produced. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION OF RESULTS: This research received the approval of the Université du Québec à Rimouski's research ethics board. In addition to scientific articles, the results of this research will be disseminated through videos and during an artistic performance.

The Proposal.

While the connection between arts, culture, and public health is not new, intentional efforts toward cross-sector collaboration in these areas are being lifted as timely and transformative. This is a call to artists, creatives, culture bearers, and activators. This is a call to public health practitioners, doctors, educators, and the myriad of peoples whose work touches the public's health. In this piece, I propose a marriage of these two seemingly disparate disciplines-arts and public health-their actors and engagements. In this piece, I propose this marriage as dance, as movement, as evolution, even revolution. What could our world look like if more of the people and the sectors of arts and public health worked together to advance our most pressing public health priorities? I offer this work to help us imagine the possibilities of growing this intentional collaboration. This piece both proposes and marries; iterates and exemplifies. By presenting this work as poetry, I propose that art not be the afterthought, the accent, the cherry on top as we strive to address public health issues, a multitude exacerbated and illuminated in the face of COVID-19. I posit that art is the consistency, the substance, the forethought, and a vehicle through which we can come to realize the positive change that we hope to see. As we ponder our next potential public health engagements, know this. Not only can this marriage soothe us and move us; but it can literally improve us. This is the proposal. Will you accept?To view the original version of this poem, see the supplemental material section of this article online.

Health Communication and the Arts in the United States: A Scoping Review.

OBJECTIVES: Guided by the hypothesis that the arts can play a role in changing attitudes, beliefs, and health behaviors, the objectives of the study were to (1) overview artistic practices, interventions, and research being conducted at the intersection of the arts and health communication and (2) identify desired and observed outcomes and variables measured in these studies. DATA SOURCE: The search strategy was developed iteratively with 2 health science librarians and conducted using 8 databases (Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts, Art and Architecture Source, CINAHL, Communication and Mass Media Complete, ERIC, PsycINFO, PubMed, and Web of Science) and hand searching. Articles included were published between 2014 and 2018. STUDY INCLUSION AND EXCLUSION CRITERIA: Inclusion criteria include US nonclinical setting and use of the arts (broadly defined) to change health knowledge, beliefs, behaviors, or awareness. Any articles not meeting inclusion criteria were excluded. DATA EXTRACTION: Covidence's data extraction tool exported to MS Excel. DATA SYNTHESIS: This final set of results was analyzed and synthesized by research design, population, sample size, health issue, purpose, variables measured, and findings. RESULTS: In all, 78 articles met inclusion criteria. Number of participants ranged from 4 to 2140 (mean = 179); 61 (78.2%) outcome studies, including 8 experimental studies; 17 (21.79%) formative research or reports. Many different health topics were addressed and different art forms used. CONCLUSION: The arts can help build knowledge and awareness of health issues. The authors highlight the need to build an evidence base for arts and public health.

Explaining juvenile idiopathic arthritis to paediatric patients using illustrations and easy-to-read texts: improvement of disease knowledge and adherence to treatment.

INTRODUCTION: Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is the leading chronic rheumatic disease in childhood. To achieve adherence to therapy, in-depth understanding of disease and treatment options are important. OBJECTIVE: Development of specifically designed illustrations and standardised, easy-to-read texts for children and adolescents with JIA. Education materials were tested for comprehensibility and content validity. We hypothesised that children would be able to increase their knowledge about JIA after presentation of materials. METHODS: The illustrations were designed by a graphic artist and the informative texts consecutively transformed to easy-to-read language. The materials appear as a modular system to allow individualized information for each patient. The illustrations and texts were tested for knowledge gain and improvement of self-efficacy in children affected by JIA/ rheumatic diseases and controls. Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) was tested as an overall assessment of patients' well-being. RESULTS: 46 controls (71% female) and 38 patients (48% female) with a median age of 11 years were tested in a standardised setting. In both groups knowledge gain was significant (controls: t (44) = 11.08, p < 0.001, d = 1.65; patients: t (37) = 7.48, p < 0.001, d = 1.21). The control group had a significantly higher enhancement of disease knowledge compared to patients' group (p = .046) The follow-up testing was only performed in one school class (20 controls) due to Covid-19 pandemic with significant improvement compared to the pre-test results (p = .002). The enhancement of self-efficacy through the teaching session was significantly higher in the patients' group. No impairment of HRQoL was seen. CONCLUSION: Explaining juvenile rheumatic diseases and therapeutic strategies is an important task in paediatric rheumatology. To avoid incomprehensible explanations in medical jargon, illustrations and easy-to-read texts were developed. Standardised presentation of the newly created materials resulted in a significant improvement of disease knowledge in patients and controls in addition to an enhancement of self-efficacy in patients.

Genees & Kunst 21, 3rd Lustrum--Annual Symposium on Medical Problems of Dancers & Musicians, Ede, The Netherlands, March 26, 2021.

On Friday, March 26, 2021, the Dutch Performing Arts Medicine Association (NVDMG) organized a scientific and artistic symposium "Genees & Kunst 21" for its 21st member assembly, at Akoesticum in Ede, The Netherlands. It was also the 3rd lustrum symposium, because in 2020 the NVDMG had its 15th anniversary and due to COVID-19 we had to postpone the symposium 1 year. The symposium was held digitally for the first time in the existence of the NVDMG.

The Value of Active Arts Engagement on Health and Well-Being of Older Adults: A Nation-Wide Participatory Study.

An emerging body of research indicates that active arts engagement can enhance older adults' health and experienced well-being, but scientific evidence is still fragmented. There is a research gap in understanding arts engagement grounded in a multidimensional conceptualization of the value of health and well-being from older participants' perspectives. This Dutch nation-wide study aimed to explore the broader value of arts engagement on older people's perceived health and well-being in 18 participatory arts-based projects (dance, music, singing, theater, visual arts, video, and spoken word) for community-dwelling older adults and those living in long term care facilities. In this study, we followed a participatory design with narrative- and arts-based inquiry. We gathered micro-narratives from older people and their (in)formal caregivers (n = 470). The findings demonstrate that arts engagement, according to participants, resulted in (1) positive feelings, (2) personal and artistic growth, and (3) increased meaningful social interactions. This study concludes that art-based practices promote older people's experienced well-being and increase the quality of life of older people. This study emphasizes the intrinsic value of arts engagement and has implications for research and evaluation of arts engagement.

Children's Drawings of Coronavirus.

OBJECTIVES: To understand how children perceive severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in relation to public representations and to evaluate their interpretations. METHODS: Children's perceptions of SARS-CoV-2 were evaluated by asking 103 French children, aged 5 to 17 years old, first to draw a coronavirus and then to identify SARS-CoV-2 in a series of 16 images during summer 2020. RESULTS: One hundred three children were included in the study, either during outpatient visits at the hospital (in Marseille and Paris) or through the authors' social network, and were grouped in terms of age, parents' occupation, mode of recruitment, and recollection of having previously seen a representation of a coronavirus. Half of the children drew the coronavirus as circular in shape, and almost all included a crownlike feature. One-third of the drawings had anthropomorphic features. Although the pictorial representations of the virus were fairly accurate overall, the children's interpretations of the crownlike structure were imaginative. The explanations the children gave for their drawings were in some cases surprising. Among the 16 pictures they were shown, the children correctly identified those of SARS-CoV-2, other than the electron micrograph, in more than two-thirds of cases. CONCLUSIONS: Children of all ages, even the youngest, and both sexes had a relatively accurate perception of SARS-CoV-2, as evaluated through their drawings and their ability to recognize it among other pictures. The children's drawings of the coronavirus were colorful and had a less frightening tone than expected in the light of media coverage, suggesting that they had developed coping mechanisms.

Toward a Culture of Health in the United States: Introducing the HPP Arts in Public Health Supplement.

The arts-and the arts and culture sector-offer fertile ground for achieving a culture of health in the United States. The arts and artists are agents of change and can help enable this vision and also address the most critical public health issues we are contending with, including COVID-19 and racism. The arts provide means for engaging dialogue, influencing behaviors, disrupting paradigms and fueling social movements. The arts uncover and illuminate issues. They engage us emotionally and intellectually. They challenge assumptions. They call out injustice. They drive collective action. They heal-making arts + public health collaboration very relevant in this historic moment. In this special Health Promotion Practice supplement on arts in public health, you'll find powerful examples and evidence of how cross-sector collaboration between public health and the arts can advance health promotion goals and impacts, and make health promotion programs not only more accessible to diverse populations but also more equitable and effective in addressing the upstream systems, policies, and structures that create health disparities. You will see how the arts can empower health communication, support health literacy, provide direct and measurable health benefits to individuals and communities, and support coping and resilience in response to COVID-19. This issue itself exemplifies cross-sector collaboration, as it was created through partnership between Health Promotion Practice, the Society for Public Health Education, ArtPlace America, and the University of Florida Center for Arts in Medicine, and presents voices from across the public health, arts, and community development sectors.

Imagining the COVID-19 pandemic through the minds of 9-11 years old: findings from an art exhibition in India.

OBJECTIVES: To understand children's perspectives of COVID-19 and lockdown through art. STUDY DESIGN: Observational; Qualitative study. METHODS: The drawings and descriptive notes along with the drawings were presented in an art exhibition and were thematically analyzed. RESULTS: Forty-three documents were created, out of which 134 quotations, 24 codes, 21 themes, and six groups were synthesized. The themes were mainly related to positive experiences, negative experiences, unity, safety, hope, uncertainty, gratitude, faith, and future expectations. CONCLUSION: This study contributes to a better understanding of children's perspectives of the pandemic situation.

Art during tough times: reflections from an art-based health promotion initiative during the COVID-19 pandemic.

With the current COVID-19 pandemic impacting communities across the globe, diverse health promotion strategies are required to address the wide-ranging challenges we face. Art is a highly engaging tool that promotes positive well-being and increases community engagement and participation. The 'Create Hope Mural' campaign emerged as an arts-based health promotion response to inspire dialogue on why hope is so important for Canadians during these challenging times. This initiative is a partnership between a health promotion network based in Vancouver and an 'open air' art museum based in Toronto. Families were invited to submit artwork online that represents the concept of hope. This paper discusses the reflections of organizers of this arts-based health promotion initiative during the early months of the pandemic in Canada. Our findings reveal the importance of decolonizing practices, centring the voices of those impacted by crisis, while being attentive to the social and political context. These learnings can be adopted by prospective health promoters attempting to use arts-based methods to address social and health inequities.

Art boxes supporting parents and infants to share creative interactions at home: an art-based response to improve well-being during COVID-19 restrictions.

OBJECTIVES: This article seeks to demonstrate the impact of distributing boxes of art resources and guided activities for vulnerable parents and infants to do together at home. STUDY DESIGN: Designed in conjunction with the local arts centre and the psychology team at the University of Dundee, the art boxes were a response to planned face-to-face art interventions with families being cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions. The aim of the art boxes is to encourage parents to make art together with their infants, fostering connection through playful, creative shared experiences. This research is currently being expanded to reach out to new families through referrals from health visitors, family nurses, and charity partners. METHODS: Data is being collected on how the art boxes are experienced by families using a mixed-methods approach. Families complete feedback cards (online, or using the stamped addressed card included in the box) rating their experience on quantitative scales and providing open comments. Visual data are gathered through parents sharing images with us on social media. An initial sample of 10 participants has been interviewed using semistructured interviews, allowing more in-depth qualitative understanding of their experiences. These preliminary findings are discussed here. RESULTS: The thematic analysis of initial interviews provided a rich picture of the disconnection families experienced during lockdown, why art boxes may be beneficial to parental well-being, and the mechanisms by which the boxes may help to develop connections for the parent and infant together. CONCLUSIONS: Preliminary findings show parents reporting feeling more confident and undertaking new activities which they plan to continue. This was of particular importance during lockdown where parents report opportunities for different experiences being more limited. Parent's describe positive playful interactions and reported improvements to their own well-being from doing creative activities together with their child. Analysis of these initial interviews gives a framework of barriers and supports to connection which highlights how art boxes can facilitate connectedness between dyads with the potential to strengthen attachments.

Water Stewardship, Health Stewardship.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, masking and hand hygiene are key to individual and public health. Yet many people do not have access to clean water. This painting reiterates the importance of water for health and reminds us to be grateful stewards of this precious natural resource.

Buckets Inequitably Filled by Our Shared Histories.

The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected patients of color and illuminates long-standing inequity in health status, health outcomes, and access to health care. Maldistribution of burden of disease, risk exposure, and how vulnerable we are to our lives unraveling is not merely unfortunate, not simply due to a bad turn of the cosmic wheel, but unjust, as illustrated in this digital self-portrait.

Indigenous Apocalypse and Transgenerational Trauma.

The disproportionate negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Native communities is a result of transgenerational traumas-mental and physical-which have been ongoing and developing for centuries. This article considers 19th-century American visual and narrative representations of Native experiences of and responses to transgenerational trauma. This article also suggests ethical implications for Native American health of interpreting those representations and suggests an obligation to look on 19th-century White American artists' romanticizations of Native experiences with humility.

Announcing the winners of our COVID-19 Creative Communication Competition.

The FEBS Journal announces the winners and runners-up of its COVID-19 Creative Communication Competition in which entrants were asked to depict 'post-lockdown lab life'.