The art of aging well: a study of the relationship between recreational arts engagement, general health and mental wellbeing in cohort of Australian older adults

Front Public Health. 2023 Nov 30:11:1288760. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1288760. eCollection 2023.

Abstract

Introduction: Evidence of the benefits of arts engagement to community wellbeing has been mounting since the 1990s. However, large scale, quantitative, epidemiological studies of the "arts-healthy aging" relationship, or the types of arts older adults voluntarily choose to engage in as part of their everyday life, for enjoyment, entertainment or as a hobby (vs. therapy or interventions) are limited. The aims of this study were to describe older adult recreational arts engagement via the Busselton Healthy Ageing Study (BHAS) cohort, and to determine if there was an association between arts engagement, general health and mental wellbeing.

Methods: Overall, 2,843 older adults (born 1946-1964) from the BHAS cohort (n = 5,107) who had completed a supplementary arts survey (n = 3,055, 60%) and had data on required variables were included in this study (93% of those eligible). The dependent variable was general health (SF12) and subjective mental wellbeing (Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale, WEMWBS). The independent variable was hours engaged in recreational arts in the last 12 months. A descriptive analysis followed by a linear regression analysis was conducted.

Results: The prevalence of recreational arts engagement in the last 12 months was 85% (mean = 132 h/year). Older adults engaged in the arts in a number of ways including attending events (79%), actively participating/making art (40%), as an arts society/club/organization member (20%), by learning about the arts (13%) or by volunteering/working in the arts (non-professional, 11%). When general health was assessed via the SF12, the average physical component score (PCS) was 50.1 (SD 8.9) and the average mental component score (MCS) was 53.6 (SD 8.3). When mental wellbeing was assessed, the average WEMWBS score was 54.9 (SD = 8.6). After adjustment for 12 demographic and lifestyle covariates, it was found that older adults who engaged in any recreational arts in the last 12 months had significantly higher WEMWBS scores and higher SF12 physical component scores than those who did not engage in the arts (0 h/year).

Discussion: Evidence of an arts-health relationship was found in this study. The suitability of the arts as a population based, healthy aging strategy to influence the mental wellbeing and general health of older adults should be investigated further.

Keywords: SF12; Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale; arts; general health; mental health; older adult.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Aging
  • Australia
  • Health Status
  • Healthy Aging*
  • Humans
  • Mental Health*

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. BHAS was supported by grants from the Government of Western Australia (Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation and Department of Health), the Commonwealth Government (Department of Health), the City of Busselton and from private donations to the Busselton Population Medical Research Institute. CD was funded by the Ian Potter Foundation (31110974) and the Minderoo Foundation—Arts & Culture (2022/GR000916) and the Western Australian Future Health Research and Innovation Fund, which was an initiative of the Western Australian State Government. Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale was funded by the Scottish Executive National Programme for improving mental health and wellbeing, commissioned by NHS Health Scotland, developed by the University of Warwick and the University of Edinburgh, and was jointly owned by NHS Health Scotland, the University of Warwick and the University of Edinburgh.