Arts & Health Education to Improve Health, Resilience, and Well-Being
Arts & Health Education to Improve Health, Resilience, and Well-Being
This is an 8-week randomized controlled trial to help address health, resilience, and
 well-being. Participants are randomized into either a health education group or an arts-based
 health education group. Both groups will attend for 8 weeks and various study assessments
 will be conducted in order to measure the experience and impact of the program. Anyone 18
 years and older with a chronic health condition (for example, diabetes, hypertension,
 congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, asthma, weight, anxiety,
 depression, cardiac, arthritis, multiple sclerosis, and many more) are eligible to
 participate.
Within the healthcare field today there is an increased concern with public health,
 population health, wellness, and prevention, all of which include focusing on physical
 health, obesity, chronic health conditions, unhealthy lifestyles, aging, and mental health
 issues. As healthcare professionals attempt to improve individuals' health outcomes, quality
 of life, well-being, coping skills, and health indicators, they also must try to promote
 behavior change that helps keep patients out of the hospital. These are concerns faced by
 individuals of all ages, genders, ethnicities, cultural backgrounds, socioeconomic statuses,
 and diagnoses. Therefore, it is important to find multiple means of addressing these concerns
 with the various populations as it is likely that no one particular method would be effective
 for every individual.

 Programs and interventions have been created to address health, resilience, and well-being at
 the individual and the social level. They demonstrate the importance of providing support,
 encouraging behavior changes, and reinforcing objectives determined by the healthcare system.
 Many of these programs have focused on improving resilience and increasing participants'
 ability to thrive or recover from the illnesses and challenges they face.

 The broad problem to be addressed by this study is to assess if arts-based programs are
 superior to non-arts-based health education programs at improving individuals' physical and
 mental health outcomes, quality of life, well-being, resilience, coping skills, stress, and
 health indicators while promoting behavior change and keeping them out of the hospital.
 Previous programs have focused on improving resilience. Individual arts interventions such as
 music, art, craft, choir singing, writing, theater, and movement have been utilized and in
 many cases found to be helpful in addressing resilience, coping, health, and well-being;
 however, it is not known what effect a program utilizing multiple arts-based interventions
 would have on adults with chronic health conditions. The primary benefit of conducting
 research into the effectiveness of different arts-based programs is the identification of the
 specific benefits of programs aimed at influencing health, resilience, and well-being in
 individuals with a variety of chronic health conditions.

 The purpose of this randomized controlled study is to determine the outcomes of an 8-week
 arts-based program on the health, resilience, and well-being of individuals with chronic
 health conditions in an outpatient underserved community setting as compared to outcomes from
 individuals participating in a separate 8-week-non-arts-based health education program in the
 same setting. The purpose of including a variety of arts experiences is so that individuals
 will hopefully find at least one art form to which they can relate and will utilize in their
 lives to assist with their health, resilience, and well-being. The non-arts-based program
 will include educational topics related to health, resilience, and well-being.
Inclusion Criteria:

 -  At least 18 years old

 -  Diagnosed with at least one chronic health condition (as reported by the participant)

 -  Able to participate safely in all program sessions

 -  Proficient in English

 -  Cognitively able to consent to participate

 Exclusion Criteria:

 -  Severe visual or auditory impairment

 -  Severe and/or uncontrolled comorbidity precluding safe participation in the program