Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 24, 2025

Using Visual and Narrative Methods to Achieve Fair Process in Clinical Care

Using Visual and Narrative Methods to Achieve Fair Process in Clinical Care

Published on: February 16, 2011

Promoting Health and Wellbeing Through Non-Clinical Arts Programming: Multi-Stakeholder Perspectives From the

Ekaterina Anderson^1,2, Makayla Dones¹, Adena Cohen-Bearak¹

¹Center for Healthcare Organization and Implementation Research (CHOIR), Bedford, MA, USA.

American Journal of Health Promotion : AJHP

|June 13, 2024

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.

Keywords:

Veterans arts clinical community qualitative research research methods specific settings

More Related Videos

Author Spotlight: Deciphering the Long-Term Effects of Low-Level Blast Exposures in Mice

Author Spotlight: Deciphering the Long-Term Effects of Low-Level Blast Exposures in Mice

Published on: May 24, 2024

Examining Changes in HRV and Emotion Following Artmaking with Three Different Art Materials

Examining Changes in HRV and Emotion Following Artmaking with Three Different Art Materials

Published on: January 11, 2020

Related Concept Videos

Healthcare Agencies II

Healthcare Agencies II

There are various healthcare agencies in the United States—some of which are managed by religious institutions and others by different government branches.
Parish nursing is a growing specialty nursing profession that focuses on holistic healthcare, health promotion, and illness prevention. It blends professional nursing practice with a health ministry, focusing on health and healing within the context of a Christian community. Parish nurses serve as health educators, referral sources,...

Documentation in Long-Term and Home Healthcare Setting

Documentation in Long-Term and Home Healthcare Setting

Documentation in long-term care facilities and home healthcare settings is crucial for ensuring continuous, coordinated, and comprehensive care for patients. Each setting has its specific documentation processes and tools:
Long-Term Care Facilities

Levels of Health Promotion and Illness Prevention

Levels of Health Promotion and Illness Prevention

Health promotion allows a person to control the determinants of health, resulting in an improved health status. It enhances the quality of life and reduces premature deaths. Health promotion and illness prevention programs help people make beneficial choices to reduce the risk of disease and disabilities. There are three health promotion and illness prevention levels: primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention.
In primary prevention, actions taken before disease onset prevent the disease from...

Healthcare Agencies I

Healthcare Agencies I

Healthcare agencies provide healthcare services to people. In the United States, voluntary agencies are often non-profit centers sponsored by donations, grants, or fundraisers. One such organization is Meals on Wheels, which provides meals to the elderly and homebound. The American Heart Association and the American Lung Association are other non-profit community organizations. Doctors and nurses are frequently active members of these organizations, which offer health checks and educational...

Models of Health Promotion and Illness Prevention I

Models of Health Promotion and Illness Prevention I

A model is a theoretical way to understand a concept or an idea. Models can overcome barriers to health regardless of diverse economic and cultural backgrounds. In addition, models make the task easier by providing different ways to approach complex issues. There are two major health promotion models: the health belief model and the health promotion model.
The health belief model (HBM) attempts to predict health-related behavior in specific belief patterns. According to the HBM, a person's...

Models of Health Promotion and Illness Prevention II

Models of Health Promotion and Illness Prevention II

The person's health status fluctuates continually, varying from being in good health to becoming ill and returning to being healthy. To understand the concept of illness prevention, there are two models. First, the health-illness continuum model is a graphic representation of an individual's wellness. It states that a person is considered healthy in the absence of physical disease and the presence of good emotional health.
The agent-host-environment model states that disease results...

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Use of cost analysis in examinations of health coaching interventions: a scoping review.

BMJ open·2026

"We were focused so long on opioids that stimulants have always been under the rug": Adapting post-overdose outreach for cocaine- and methamphetamine-involved events.

The International journal on drug policy·2026

Clinical Standardization Across a National Health System: Perspectives From the Veterans Affairs' Electronic Health Record Transition.

Medical care·2026

Associations of gait speed, grip strength, depressive symptoms, and their combinations with fracture risk in older adults.

GeroScience·2026

Impact of a stimulant-inclusive post-overdose outreach toolkit on engagement of overdose survivors who use stimulants: An interrupted time series analysis.

Drug and alcohol dependence·2026

Employing Peer Outreach and Whole Health in Recovery (EMPOWER) for homeless-experienced veterans: protocol for a hybrid type 3 implementation trial.

Implementation science : IS·2026

See all related articles