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BackgroundMethodsResultsDiscussionConclusionsThis paper considers weaknesses in a study by Cohen et al. (2006) on the impacts of community singing on health. These include high demand characteristics, lack of attention to attrition, flawed statistical analysis, and measurement. Nevertheless, the study is uncritically cited, in evidence reviews, with findings taken at face value.Google Scholar, SCOPUS and BASE citation functions for Cohen et al. identified 32 evidence reviews in peer-reviewed journals. Eleven of these reviews, published between 2010 and 2023, focused on creative arts interventions.We demonstrate limitations in the Cohen et al. research which undermine the conclusions they reach regarding the health benefits of group singing. Subsequent evidence reviews take the findings at face value and offer little critical commentary.We consider what is needed to improve evidence reviews in the field of creative arts and health research.A more robust approach is needed in reviewing research evidence in the field of arts and health. The Cohen et al. paper is not suitable for inclusion in future evidence reviews. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction to the journal is presented in which the editor discusses various topics within the issue, including singing and health in Ireland, person-centred care, music therapy, and ethnomusicology.

Background: Both adherence rates to pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) programmes and long-term attendance in exercise training after PR remain a challenge. In our previous randomised controlled trial (RCT), effects were positively associated with a dose-response pattern, regardless of whether PR contained conventional physical exercise training (PExT) or Singing for Lung Health (SLH) as a training modality within a 10 weeks' PR programme for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, long-term status of this RCT cohort remains unknown. In this study, we investigated whether current status (=attendance in supervised exercise training or a lung choir and scoring in quality of life (QoL)) was related to initial PR completion, randomisation, or adherence., Methods: We collected data via telephone, using a researcher-developed questionnaire on current self-reported attendance in supervised exercise training or a lung choir and on perceived benefits of the initial RCT intervention. Additionally, we used COPD-validated questionnaires (primarily: QoL (measure: St George's Respiratory Questionnaire; SGRQ)., Results: In 2023 (i.e., mean/median 4.7 years after initial PR), surviving participants were contacted ( n  = 196; 73% of 270), and 160 (82% of 196) were included. Out of the included participants, 30 (19%) had not completed initial PR. Compared to the initial PR-completers, non-completers reported less current attendance in exercise training or lung choir (24% vs. 46%, p  = 0.03) but SGRQ scores were comparable. Yet, those who attended exercise training or lung choir at present ( n  = 66/160; 41% out of 160) reported better QoL score than those with no current attendance (SGRQ; Attending: 39.9 ± 15.4; Not attending: 43.1 ± 16.7; p  = 0.02). Neither having had SLH instead of PExT, nor adherence level during initial PR, was related to current attendance or to QoL scores., Conclusion: This study indicates that long-term self-reported attendance and current QoL scores are positively related to initial completion of a PR programme. Surprisingly, neither initial PR content (PExT or SLH) nor initial PR adherence was related to long-term outcomes. We suggest that future PR programmes include special attention to those who do not complete PR to support long-term attendance and QoL status., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (© 2024 Kaasgaard, Bodtger, Skou, Clift, Hilberg, Rasmussen and Løkke.)