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Social prescribing is a non-clinical approach to addressing social, environmental, and economic factors affecting how people feel physical and/or emotionally. It involves connecting people to “community assets” (e.g., local groups, organizations, and charities) that can contribute to positive well-being. We sought to explain in what ways, for whom, and why the cultural sector can support social prescribing with older people. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 28 older people (aged 60+) and 25 cultural sector staff. The following nine concepts, developed from interview data, progressed the understanding of tailoring cultural offers, which came from our previous realist review— immersion, buddying, café culture, capacity, emotional involvement, perseverance, autonomy, elitism, and virtual cultural offers. Through tailoring, we propose that older people might experience one or more of the following benefits from engaging with a cultural offer as part of social prescribing—being immersed, psychological holding, connecting, and transforming through self-growth.

Older people’s well-being can be bolstered by engaging with cultural activities and venues. They may be encouraged to try cultural offers by a link worker as part of social prescribing. However, the cultural sector, like all parts of life, was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic; this has had implications for cultural offers available to link workers. A study was conducted to explore the views and experiences of link workers in using the cultural sector within social prescribing, particularly for older people (aged 60+) during the pandemic. An online questionnaire was distributed to and completed by link workers in the UK. Data were analysed mainly using descriptive statistics. Open text responses were clustered into similar ideas to create key concepts. Useable responses were received from 148 link workers. They highlighted a general lack of interaction between link workers and the cultural sector about how the latter could support social prescribing. Results suggested that personal familiarity with cultural offers might prompt link workers to refer to them. Some respondents proposed that cultural offers were regarded as elitist, which deterred them from referring there. However, there was a general acknowledgement that the cultural sector could contribute to social prescribing. Link workers need to regard the cultural sector as accessible, appropriate, adequate, affordable and available before referring older people to cultural offers as part of social prescribing. Link workers may benefit from becoming more familiar with cultural sector staff and offers, including online resources, so they can then propose them to patients with confidence.

Aims: To assess the biopsychosocial effects of participation in a unique, combined arts- and nature-based museum intervention, involving engagement with horticulture, artmaking and museum collections, on adult mental health service users. Methods: Adult mental health service users (total n = 46 across two phases) with an average age of 53 were referred through social prescribing by community partners (mental health nurse and via a day centre for disadvantaged and vulnerable adults) to a 10-week ‘creative green prescription’ programme held in Whitworth Park and the Whitworth Art Gallery. The study used an exploratory sequential mixed methods design comprising two phases – Phase 1 (September to December 2016): qualitative research investigating the views of participants ( n = 26) through semi-structured interviews and diaries and Phase 2 (February to April 2018): quantitative research informed by Phase 1 analysing psychological wellbeing data from participants ( n = 20) who completed the UCL Museum Wellbeing Measure pre–post programme. Results: Inductive thematic analysis of Phase 1 interview data revealed increased feelings of wellbeing brought about by improved self-esteem, decreased social isolation and the formation of communities of practice. Statistical analysis of pre–post quantitative measures in Phase 2 found a highly significant increase in psychological wellbeing. Conclusion: Creative green prescription programmes, using a combination of arts- and nature-based activities, present distinct synergistic benefits that have the potential to make a significant impact on the psychosocial wellbeing of adult mental health service users. Museums with parks and gardens should consider integrating programmes of outdoor and indoor collections-inspired creative activities permitting combined engagement with nature, art and wellbeing.

Background Reducing health inequalities in the UK has been a policy priority for over 20 years, yet, despite efforts to create a more equal society, progress has been limited. Furthermore, some inequalities have widened and become more apparent, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic. With growing recognition of the uneven distribution of life expectancy and of mental and physical health, the current research was commissioned to identify future research priorities to address UK societal and structural health inequalities. Methods An expert opinion consultancy process comprising an anonymous online survey and a consultation workshop were conducted to investigate priority areas for future research into UK inequalities. The seven-question survey asked respondents (n = 170) to indicate their current role, identify and prioritise areas of inequality, approaches and evaluation methods, and comment on future research priorities. The workshop was held to determine areas of research priority and attended by a closed list of delegates (n = 30) representing a range of academic disciplines and end-users of research from policy and practice. Delegates self-selected one of four breakout groups to determine research priority areas in four categories of inequality (health, social, economic, and other) and to allocate hypothetical sums of funding (half, one, five, and ten million pounds) to chosen priorities. Responses were analysed using mixed methods. Results Survey respondents were mainly ‘academics’ (33%), ‘voluntary/third sector professionals’ (17%), and ‘creative/cultural professionals’(16%). Survey questions identified the main areas of inequality as ‘health’ (58%), ‘social care’ (54%), and ‘living standards’ (47%). The first research priority was ‘access to creative and cultural opportunities’ (37%), second, ‘sense of place’ (23%), and third, ‘community’ (17%). Approaches seen to benefit from more research in relation to addressing inequalities were ‘health/social care’ (55%), ‘advice services’ (34%), and ‘adult education/training’ (26%). Preferred evaluation methods were ‘community/participatory’ (76%), ‘action research’ (62%), and ‘questionnaires/focus groups’ (53%). Survey respondents (25%) commented on interactions between inequalities and issues such as political and economic decisions, and climate. The key workshop finding from determining research priorities in areas of inequality was that health equity could only be achieved by tackling societal and structural inequalities, environmental conditions and housing, and having an active prevention programme. Conclusions Research demonstrates a clear need to assess the impact of cultural and natural assets in reducing inequality. Collaborations between community groups, service providers, local authorities, health commissioners, GPs, and researchers using longitudinal methods are needed within a multi-disciplinary approach to address societal and structural health inequalities.

Guest Editorial

Objectives Chronic pain is a leading cause of morbidity and disability across the world. Cultural engagement may be a valuable tool in addressing the social disconnection that often accompanies chronic pain. This study sought to develop a framework for arts in health programs targeting individuals with chronic pain. Study design Sequential explanatory mixed-methods study. Methods Web-based, cross-sectional survey sent to arts and cultural professionals to assess their experience with arts in health programming. Semi-structured interviews conducted with a sample of survey respondents to explore their perspectives on targeted arts in health programming for individuals with chronic pain. Results Between October 2019 and January 2020, 208 surveys were completed by arts and cultural professionals. One hundred and twenty (58%) of the respondents indicated that they currently run an arts in health or museums in health program. Among these 120 respondents, 52 (43%) targeted older adults, 50 (42%) targeted individuals with mental health concerns, and 18 (15%) targeted individuals living with pain. Improving well-being (101 [84%]) and reducing social isolation (90 [75%]) were the most common intended program outcomes, while improving pain was the least common outcome (26 [22%]). Fifteen survey respondents were interviewed. Interviewees identified four interdependent themes regarding best practices for arts in health programs pertaining to (1) program content and structure, (2) program facilitation, (3) partnerships, and (4) programs for individuals with chronic pain. Conclusions The cultural sector can support chronic pain prevention and treatment efforts through the development of specialized programs. This study provides a framework for developing arts in health programs that support individuals living with chronic pain.

Background Community-based engagement has been crucial during the COVID-19 pandemic, fostering informal and local mutual aid between individuals, community groups, charities, community interest companies and local authorities. The current rapid evidence review examines the emergence of community-based arts, nature, music, theatre and other types of cultural engagement amongst UK communities in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It focuses on all community engagement with a sub-focus on provisions accessed by and targeted towards vulnerable groups. Methods Two hundred and fifty-six resources created between February 2020 and January 2021 were reviewed. Resources were identified through Google Scholar, PubMed, Web of Science, MedRXic, PsycharXiv, and supplemented with searches for grey literature and items in the public domain. The majority reported services that had been adapted to become online, telephone based or delivered at a distance from doorsteps. Over a third of identified resources (37%) were targeted towards socioeconomic outcomes, such as social isolation, financial difficulty or caregiver responsibilities. Over a quarter of resources (28%) were targeted towards psychological outcomes, including individuals with mild to moderate anxiety and depression, acute mental health needs, or neurodevelopmental conditions such as Autism Spectrum Disorder. Under a fifth of resources (17%) were targeted towards physiological outcomes, including individuals with health conditions such as dementia, chronic pain, immunological conditions, or other conditions requiring shielding. The remaining resources were open to everyone, or targeted towards other groups that did not fall into vulnerability categories such as parents or university students. Several quality assessment frameworks were used to evaluate the quality of data. Whilst a number of peer reviewed, grey literature and public domain items were identified, less than half of the identified literature met quality thresholds. The pace of the response to the pandemic may have meant robust evaluation procedures were not always in place. Conclusions Outreach to vulnerable audiences was generally observed via a plethora of organisations, however more robust and longitudinal evidence is needed as to the efficacy and impact of community programmes, services and activities.

Aims: A wide range of non-clinical nature- and culture-based interventions for the treatment of health issues have been evaluated in evidence and systematic reviews. However, common outcomes of these interventions have not been identified and neuro-bio-psychosocial mechanisms underlying how these interventions impact health are not well understood. We conducted a systematised review and compared the evidence for human responses to nature- and culture-based non-clinical interventions for a range of health issues and assessed the proposed mechanisms and conceptual frameworks underlying these interventions. Methods: Comprehensive searches were conducted up to May 2018 in six bibliographic databases: Campbell Collaboration, Cochrane Library, Embase, Medline, Scopus and Web of Science. Studies included were evidence reviews or systematic reviews on any nature- or culture-based non-clinical intervention to improve the health of individuals. Results: A total of 60 reviews were included (33 of nature, 26 of culture, 1 of both) covering 1480 individual studies and trials. The most common review types were systematic (32), literature (22) and meta-analyses (6). Positive effects on mental health were reported for the majority of interventions, while other health outcomes such as immunity were not well represented in the review literature. A range of secondary outcomes were common to both nature- and culture-based interventions including psychological and emotional impacts, social interaction and relationship development, skills development, physical health benefits, and positive impact of the intervention environment. Only two reviews proposed conceptual frameworks, and the neuro-bio-psychosocial mechanisms that underpin the health changes were not clarified. Conclusion: Future research should focus on reviewing the evidence gaps for non-clinical nature- and culture-based interventions with an emphasis on implementing larger sample sizes, cohort and longitudinal studies, which deploy a wider range of mixed-methods, quasi-experimental and randomised control trials. There should also be agreement on terminology and developing conceptual frameworks to better understand the neuro-bio-psychosocial mechanisms underlying interventions.

Community engagement, such as participating in arts, nature or leisurely activities, is positively associated with psychological and physiological wellbeing. Community-based engagement during the COVID-19 pandemic facilitated informal and local mutual aid between individuals. This rapid evidence review assesses the emergence of community-based arts, nature, music, theatre and other types of cultural engagement amongst UK communities in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Here, we focus on all community engagement with a sub-focus on provisions accessed by and targeted towards vulnerable groups. Two hundred and fifty-six resources were included that had been created between February 2020 and January 2021. Resources were identified through Google Scholar, PubMed, Web of Science, MedRXic, PsycharXiv and searches for grey literature and items in the public domain. The majority reported services that had been adapted to become online, telephone-based or delivered at a distance from doorsteps. Several quality assessment frameworks were used to evaluate the quality of data. Whilst a number of peer-reviewed, grey literature and public domain articles were identified, less than half of the identified literature met quality thresholds. The pace of the response to the pandemic may have meant that robust evaluation procedures were not always in place.

Aims: The aim of this article is to present a new observational tool for assessing the impacts of museum object handling for people with moderate-to-severe dementia in hospital settings, focusing on wellbeing, social interaction, level of engagement and agitation. This article presents a four-step approach to collaboration towards co-developing the tool, which involved a range of academics, museums professionals, and health and social care partners, and describes the process of integrating multiple perspectives towards common research methodologies. Methods: The research team organised a series of meetings and workshops with museum and healthcare partners to identify commonly used assessments and their perspectives on the objectives and possible outcomes of museum object handling activities. These were integrated with findings from a review of current conceptualisations of engagement in people with dementia (PWD) to produce a fit-for-purpose video evaluation method of the health and wellbeing impacts of the museum object handling programmes. Results: This article presents the Museum Engagement Observation Tool for use in hospital settings for people with moderate-to-severe dementia. Conclusion: This article suggests that collaborative approaches can inform the development of future methods for creative health research and evaluation initiatives and to support this, it outlines the process of development of a new observational tool for people with dementia.

Aims: To assess psychological wellbeing in a novel social prescription intervention for older adults called Museums on Prescription, and to explore the extent of change over time in six self-rated emotions (‘absorbed, ‘active’, ‘cheerful’, ‘encouraged’, ‘enlightened’ and ‘inspired’). Methods: Participants (n=115) aged 65-94 were referred to museum-based programmes comprising 10, weekly sessions, by healthcare and third sector organisations using inclusion criteria (e.g. socially isolated; able to give informed consent; not in employment; not regularly attending social or cultural activities) and exclusion criteria (e.g. unable to travel to the museum; unable to function in a group situation; unlikely to be able to attend all sessions; unable to take part in interviews and complete questionnaires). In a within-participants design, the Museum Wellbeing Measure for Older Adults (MWM-OA) was administered pre-post session at start- mid- and end-programme. Twelve programmes, facilitated by museum staff and volunteers, were conducted in seven museums in central London and across Kent. In addition to the quantitative measures, participants, carers where present, museum staff and researchers kept weekly diaries following guideline questions, and took part in end programme in-depth interviews. Results: Multivariate analyses of variance showed significant participant improvements in all six MWM-OA emotions, pre-post session at start- mid- and end-programme. Two emotions, ‘absorbed’ and ‘enlightened’, increased pre-post session disproportionately to the others; ‘cheerful’ attained the highest pre-post session scores whereas ‘active’ was consistently lowest. Conclusions: Museums can be instrumental in offering museum-based programmes for older adults to improve psychological wellbeing over time. Participants in the study experienced a sense of privilege, valued the opportunity to liaise with curators, visit parts of the museum closed to the public, and handle objects normally behind glass. Participants appreciated opportunities afforded by creative and co-productive activities to acquire learning and skills, and get to know new people in a different context.

Background: This review focused on evaluation of United Kingdom social prescribing schemes published in peer-reviewed journals and reports. Schemes, including arts, books, education, and exercise ‘on prescription’ refer patients to community sources of non-clinical intervention. Method: A systematised review protocol appraised primary research material evaluating social prescribing schemes published 2000-15. Searches were performed in electronic databases using keywords, and articles were screened for evaluation of patient data, referral process, assessment method and outcomes; non-evaluated articles were excluded. Results: Of 86 schemes located including pilots, 40 evaluated primary research material: 17 used quantitative methods including six randomised controlled trials; 16 qualitative methods, and seven mixed methods; 9 exclusively involved arts on prescription. Conclusions: Outcomes included increase in self-esteem and confidence; improvement in mental wellbeing and positive mood; and reduction in anxiety, depression and negative mood. Despite positive findings, the review identifies a number of gaps in the evidence base and makes recommendations for future evaluation and implementation of referral pathways.

Objective Drawing on a growing body of research suggesting that taking part in artistic and cultural activities benefits health and well-being, the objective was to develop a participatory action research (PAR) method for assessing the impact of arts interventions on forcibly displaced people, and identify themes concerning perceived benefits of such programmes. Design A collaborative study following PAR principles of observation, focus groups and in-depth semistructured interviews. Setting London-based charity working with asylum seekers and refugees. Participants An opportunity sample (n=31; 6 males) participated in focus groups comprising refugees/asylum seekers (n=12; 2 males), volunteers (n=4; 1 males) and charity staff (n=15; 3 males). A subset of these (n=17; 3 males) participated in interviews comprising refugees/asylum seekers (n=7; 1 males), volunteers (n=7; 1 males) and charity staff (n=3; 1 males). Results Focus group findings showed that participants articulated the impact of creative activities around three main themes: skills, social engagement and personal emotions that were explored during in-depth interviews. Thematic analysis of interviews was conducted in NVivo 11 and findings showed that artistic and cultural activities impacted positively by helping participants find a voice, create support networks and learn practical skills useful in the labour market. Conclusions The study expanded on arts and well-being research by exploring effects of cultural and creative activities on the psychosocial well-being of refugees and asylum seekers. By focusing on the relationship between arts, well-being and forced displacement, the study was instrumental in actively trying to change the narrative surrounding refugees and asylum seekers, often depicted in negative terms in the public sphere.

Evidence-based conservation planning is crucial for informing management decisions for species of extreme rarity, but collection of robust data on genetic status or other parameters can be extremely challenging for such species. The Hainan gibbon, possibly the world's rarest mammal, consists of a single population of ~25 individuals restricted to one protected area on Hainan Island, China, and has persisted for over 30 years at exceptionally low population size. Analysis of genotypes at 11 microsatellite loci from faecal samples for 36% of the current global population and tissue samples from 62% of existing historical museum specimens demonstrates limited current genetic diversity (Na = 2.27, Ar = 2.24, He = 0.43); diversity has declined since the 19th century and even further within the last 30 years, representing declines of ~30% from historical levels (Na = 3.36, Ar = 3.29, He = 0.63). Significant differentiation is seen between current and historical samples (FST = 0.156, P = 0.0315), and the current population exhibits extremely small Ne (current Ne = 2.16). There is evidence for both a recent population bottleneck and an earlier bottleneck, with population size already reasonably low by the late 19th century (historical Ne = 1162.96). Individuals in the current population are related at the level of half- to full-siblings between social groups, and full-siblings or parent-offspring within a social group, suggesting that inbreeding is likely to increase in the future. The species' current reduced genetic diversity must be considered during conservation planning, particularly for expectations of likely population recovery, indicating that intensive, carefully planned management is essential.

The noblewoman's ape Human activities are causing extinctions across a wide array of taxa. Yet there has been no evidence of humans directly causing extinction among our relatives, the apes. Turvey et al. describe a species of gibbon found in a 2200- to 2300-year-old tomb ascribed to a Chinese noblewoman. This previously unknown species was likely widespread, may have persisted until the 18th century, and may be the first ape species to have perished as a direct result of human activities. This discovery may also indicate the existence of unrecognized primate diversity across Asia. Science , this issue p. 1346

BackgroundThe study examined the effects of museum outreach sessions on confidence, sociability and well-being measures for mental health (n = 85) and addiction recovery (n = 59) service-users taking an asset-based approach and research design. Method: Both groups participated in weekly outreach sessions combining object handling and museum visits with arts and craft activities. Using mixed methods, measures of confidence, sociability and well-being were evaluated quantitatively through a “ladder of change” model of steps towards independence and feedback was analysed qualitatively. Results: Comparison of scores from first, mid- and last sessions showed increases across all measures. Qualitative analysis revealed additional gains including pride, learning and skills, and creativity. Findings were interpreted in terms of social capital, independence and resilience. Conclusions: Creative museum activities showed increases in participant levels of confidence, sociability and well-being. The study highlighted...

Participation in creative cultural activities has received increasing attention by researchers and policy makers and is considered by some as an important new focus for public heath programmes and ...

Emerging evidence indicates that museum object handling sessions offer short-term benefits to healthcare participants. This study aimed to further understand psychological and social aspects of object handling in mental health inpatients. Older adults (N ¼ 42) from a psychiatric inpatient ward with diagnoses of depression or anxiety took part in a series of object handling group sessions with 5–12 participants per group. Session audio recordings were subjected to thematic analysis. Five main themes were identified: ‘responding to object focused questions’, ‘learning about objects and from each other’, ‘enjoyment, enrichment through touch and privilege’, ‘memories, personal associations and identity’ and ‘imagination and storytelling’. The first four were congruent with literature associated with positive wellbeing and engagement outcomes but the fifth was a new finding for group contexts. Limitations include the relatively small sample and variable week-to-week group attendance. Audio recordings did not provide information on non-verbal communication and how objects were handled. Future studies should control for attendance and examine effects of multiple sessions over time, ideally with video recording. This study offers preliminary support for museum object handling as a group intervention in mental health care with potential to develop therapeutic aspects of the sessions. Findings indicate that object handling is a novel yet effective intervention with potential for conferring additional advantages by conducting sessions in group settings.

Background: This review offers a conceptual summary and critique of psychological theories and research concerning the use of material objects and their possible role in clinical work. Methods: Studies relating to the theory and use of material objects in different contexts and interventions were identified through a search of the following data bases: Psycinfo, Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts and Cochrane Database of Systemic Reviews. Results: The 29 papers that met inclusion criteria fell within six broad categories: psychoanalytic thinking and transitional objects, found object theory and clinical use, developmental and neuropsychological perspectives on touch, valued object choice, the relationships of material objects to identity and museum object handling interventions. Conclusions: A range of effective roles for material objects in research and clinical work was identified, and in particular, museum object-handling sessions offered short-term benefits in well-being and engagement to a variety of clinical populations. A number of methodological limitations were identified throughout this literature. The review concludes with recommendations for further research including the need for longitudinal studies, further study of the processes within group object-handling sessions and studies of multiple object-handling sessions; clinical application of material objects was also addressed

The Museum Well-being Measures Toolkit was developed and trialled over 12 months by university researchers and museum professionals from partner museums. The project to develop a museum-focused measure to evaluate the well-being benefits of museum and gallery events and activities was funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC). The need for a suitable measure was determined through AHRC-funded workshops and research that reviewed quantitative measures, including clinical scales, and qualitative methods for assessing the impact of museum activities on aspects of health and well-being. Thirty-two specialist museums participated by providing advice and expertise gathered using surveys and interviews, and by trialling prototype measures over four phases. Prior to completion, partners provided further feedback resulting in the finished toolkit, now available to download as a free online resource with information about the research background, instructions for use and advice on data analysis.

This paper presents research findings that help to understand how museum programs created opportunities to enhance wellbeing and health, and changed experiences of social isolation in older adults. The research conceptualized how program elements enabled both individual experiences and relational processes to occur. These components operated within a context that was enriched by the museum as a place to support wellbeing and enhance social interaction. To meaningfully support socially isolated older people as part of local public health strategies, museums need to be accessible and engaging places that purposively support social interaction by involving people and objects, participating in multiple sessions over time, that are facilitated by skilled and knowledgeable staff.

The extent to which a museum object-handling intervention enhanced older adult well-being across three health care settings was examined. The program aimed to determine whether therapeutic benefits could be measured objectively using clinical scales. Facilitator-led, 30 to 40 min sessions handling and discussing museum objects were conducted in acute and elderly care (11 one-to-ones), residential (4 one-to-ones and 1 group of five), and psychiatric (4 groups of five) settings. Pre–post measures of psychological well-being (Positive Affect and Negative Affect Schedule) and subjective wellness and happiness (Visual Analogue Scales) were compared. Positive affect and wellness increased significantly in acute and elderly and residential care though not psychiatric care whereas negative affect decreased and happiness increased in all settings. Examination of audio recordings revealed enhanced confidence, social interaction, and learning. The program allowed adults access to a museum activity who by virtue of age and ill health would not otherwise have engaged with museum objects.

Many museums and galleries offer services directed at improving the health and well-being of their audiences. Despite this increasing area of activity there is no standardized method for assessing the impact on participants. Recent research into heritage-in-health revealed the need for a culture-specific toolkit of measures to assess the well-being of adults participating in museum, arts and heritage activities. A pretrial survey of UK specialist museums ascertained how a toolkit might be used and what methods of evaluation already existed. Prototypes were trialled over twelve months and a post-trial survey was conducted prior to production of the toolkit. Statistically reliable measures were constructed for positive and negative emotion. Comparison of pretest-posttest differences showed highly significant increases in positive scores and decreases in negative scores with medium to large effect sizes. All words in the measures contributed to changes in emotion. Full and short Generic Well-being Questionnaires (GWQ) were developed for people with dementia. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15.

Social prescribing is a term used with increasing frequency to describe the process of enabling healthcare professionals to refer patients to a link worker, to co-design a non-clinical social prescription to improve their health and wellbeing.1 Original descriptions of social prescribing involved three components to a scheme: a referral from a healthcare professional, a consultation with a link worker and an agreed referral into the third sector.2–4 Social prescribing has developed to incorporate referrals into the arts, the natural environment, reading on prescription schemes and schemes to support health behaviour changes especially for long-term conditions. Other social prescribing schemes work to develop community cohesion such as time-banking, or address the social determinants of health by providing support for welfare, debt advice, housing and employment. In recent years, social prescribing has emerged as a strategy for tackling health inequities through partnerships between primary care and third sector organisations, and augmenting standard health and social care services. In practice, social prescribing provides an architecture to allow a person to move between professional sectors into their community; this was recently recognised in the General Practice Forward View which listed social prescribing as one of the 10 high-impact actions.5 Social prescribing is, therefore, able to address physiological, physical, psychological, psychosocial or socioeconomic issues, as well as enhancing community wellbeing and social inclusion.

Introduction: The study investigated the impact of museum object handling sessions on hospital clients receiving occupational therapy in neurological rehabilitation and in an older adult acute inpatient mental health service. Methods: The research used a qualitative approach based on objectivist and constructionist methods, from which themes typical of the object handling sessions were derived. Results: Themes emerging from detailed analysis of discourse involving clients (n = 82) and healthcare staff (n = 8) comprised: distraction and decreasing negative emotion; increasing vitality and participation; tactile stimulation; conversational and social skills; increasing a sense of identity; novel perspectives and thoughts; learning new things; enjoyment and positive emotion. Critical success factors included good session facilitation for mitigating insecurity, ward staff support and the use of authentic heritage objects. Conclusion: Museums and their collections can be a valuable addition to cultural and arts occupations, in particular for long-stay hospital clients.

Do museums and other heritage organisations have something to offer the healthcare sector? Do they have a role in improving health and well-being? Increasingly both heritage and healthcare organisations think they do. A broader definition of health including well-being and an emphasis on preventative medicine and multi-agency approaches to care within the UK’s National Health Service has facilitated the work of museums and galleries in this area. However, there are still few specific heritage programmes in healthcare organisations and very little evaluation of these. Here we present key findings from a qualitative evaluation of a heritage focused intervention carried out in a range of healthcare settings. The aim of the research project was to assess the impact on well-being of taking museum objects into hospitals and healthcare contexts.

The potential for museums to operate as agents of change in the promotion of social inclusion and health and wellbeing is a growing area of research and is aligned with the intersections between cultural engagement and public health. Using a case study analysis, this paper will discuss implications and findings of research and practice arising from a heritage-in-health programme called 'Touching Heritage: Objects to Healthcare' (hereafter ‘Touching Heritage’) funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, as part of their ‘Your Heritage’ funding stream. The project takes museum objects from University College London collections out to people who by virtue of their health or age would otherwise be excluded from participating in cultural activities, such as those who are hospitalised, attending day or community centres or residents of care homes or sheltered housing. The project extends access to a wide variety of heritage objects, and actively involves socially excluded/isolated communities and individuals in participatory sessions. The paper will discuss the potential for museums to promote health and wellbeing by recruiting and training volunteers to become community curators and object-handling facilitators. Using a mixed-methods approach to data collection, including surveys, focus groups, interviews and reflexive feedback, the paper will discuss findings related to best practice for the development of volunteer led outreach programmes that partner museums to hospitals and community healthcare services. The paper will discuss implications for sustainable practice, satellite programming, and best practice in heritage-in-health work.

This chapter explores experiences of implementing Object-Based Learning (OBL) using university museum collections across a range of academic departments at University College London (UCL). In the last decade, the Museums and Public Engagement department has made significant progress in its mission to promote the benefits of OBL for teaching and learning in higher education (HE). Since the 1970s, the advantages of active, experiential and student-centred learning have been promulgated by a large and growing literature on education. Active learning systems where OBL sessions are designed to fit transparently into courses' intended learning outcomes have the potential to create a sense of purpose and direction for students. The appointment of an Object-based Learning Teaching Fellow at UCL has accelerated the promotion of collections-based teaching and helped to ensure it is widely embedded in practice. At UCL researchers have collected information on the specifics of how this method can achieve desired results for university students.

Conservation management requires an evidence-based approach, as uninformed decisions can signify the difference between species recovery and loss. The Hainan gibbon, the world’s rarest ape, reportedly exploits the largest home range of any gibbon species, with these apparently large spatial requirements potentially limiting population recovery. However, previous home range assessments rarely reported survey methods, effort or analytical approaches, hindering critical evaluation of estimate reliability. For extremely rare species where data collection is challenging, it also is unclear what impact such limitations have on estimating home range requirements. We re-evaluated Hainan gibbon spatial ecology using 75 hours of observations from 35 contact days over 93 field-days across wet (June 2011-September 2011) and dry (November 2010-February 2011) seasons. We calculated home range area for three social groups (N=21 individuals) across the sampling period, seasonal estimates for one group (based on 24 days of observation; 12 days per season), and between-group home range overlap using multiple approaches (Minimum Convex Polygon, Kernel Density Estimation, Local Convex Hull, Brownian Bridge Movement Model), and assessed estimate reliability and representativeness using three approaches (Incremental Area Analysis, spatial concordance, and exclusion of expected holes). We estimated a yearly home range of 1–2 km2, with 1.49 km2 closest to the median of all estimates. Although Hainan gibbon spatial requirements are relatively large for gibbons, our new estimates are smaller than previous estimates used to explain the species’ limited recovery, suggesting that habitat availability may be less important in limiting population growth. We argue that other ecological, genetic, and/or anthropogenic factors are more likely to constrain Hainan gibbon recovery, and conservation attention should focus on elucidating and managing these factors.

The role of historical biogeography in conserving biodiversity is gaining increasing interest, particularly in regions such as Southeast Asia which continue to experience extensive environmental and anthropogenic changes. Southeast Asia has experienced dynamic environmental changes which have affected the spatial distribution of the region’s biodiversity, compounded by extensive human impacts such as large-scale land-use change, habitat destruction and poaching. Integrating historical and fossil data into species distribution analyses for hylobatids has provided an increased understanding of species’ tolerance to changing environmental conditions. These data combined with environmental records also reveal how hylobatid ranges shift over time and afford an opportunity to predict how hylobatids will respond to future pressures such as land-use and climate change. Given the endangered and critically endangered status of many hylobatids, and the ongoing anthropogenic pressures, understanding species responses to these changes is critical for effective conservation planning.

The benefits of a heritage-in-health intervention were assessed using clinically accepted psychometric measures of wellbeing and happiness. Positive outcomes of arts-in-health activities are well documented and reviewed yet little empirical research has been conducted to determine the effectiveness of heritage-in-health activities. The research drew upon art therapy, psychology and education for a conceptual framework. General healthcare patients participated in one-to-one, facilitated sessions of around 40 minutes that involved discussing factual and emotional properties of a selection of museum objects. Questions followed a standardised protocol with a semi-structured interview format. In the experimental group, participants handled the objects (tactile condition) whereas in the comparison group, participants looked at pictures of these objects (visual condition). Baseline and intervention self-report measures (Positive Affect Negative Affect Scale and Visual Analogue Scales) were used to evalu...

This study explores the therapeutic potential of heritage-object handling in nurse-patient encounters with women facing cancer. Ten women participated in an object-focused conversation with a nurse specialist. Sessions were audio-tape recorded and transcribed. Kleinian theory framed the analysis to reveal the individual ways women ‘used’ the object in the session. Professionally observed heritage-object handling provides an aid to discussion with patients and has potential as an assessment platform for therapeutic work or as an intervention approach in its own right. Further longitudinal controlled trials are needed to evaluate such benefits, particularly given the depth of the talk revealed in this study.

The concept of well-being is now widely used in policy, including in the museum sector. This article addresses the need for museums to understand and be able to measure their contribution to this increasingly important instrumental value, if they are to engage with the policy. However, due to the indefinite and inconsistent definition of the concept, it is difficult to know what to measure. There are also difficulties capturing this amorphous outcome to allow for generalisability and to assign causality – the key needs of policy-oriented research and evaluation. The article outlines these issues and looks at psychology, economics, healthcare and culture for insight. It also suggests a tentative Well-being Outcomes Framework that could be used consistently in the sector, to measure evidence and advocate for museums’ contribution to well-being.

Arts therapy interventions within health care produce positive outcomes for patients, staff and carers, though little rigorous evaluation of these activities is conducted using clinically accepted measures. Similarly, heritage-specific therapeutic interventions offer comparable potential to increase well-being. Although museums and galleries have significant capacity to contribute to health and social care, widespread implementation is impeded by lack of robust clinical data quantifying the impact of such interventions. Measurement scales for psychological well-being, quality of life and health status were reviewed for their suitability to evaluate well-being in hospital patients before and after 30-minute museum object handling sessions. Measures were short-listed using selection criteria of internal and external validity, practicality and sensitivity. Focus on usage in health care, breadth of application, ease of administration and degree of responsiveness informed the choice of optimum measures for preliminary research with female oncology patients (n=40). Findings indicated effectiveness of selected measures (Positive Affect Negative Affect Scale; PANAS and Visual Analogue Scale; VAS) for heritage-specific interventions.