Museums and art galleries as partners for public health interventions

TLDR

Public health programmes are typically delivered in schools, workplaces, community settings, and healthcare facilities, yet the cultural heritage sector—museums and art galleries—remains an underutilized venue for health interventions with international relevance. The study aims to justify using museums and art galleries as venues for public health interventions and health promotion programmes by highlighting their social role in community health. The authors review recent international research and integrate it into a framework that leverages museums and galleries to facilitate collaboration among cultural heritage, healthcare, and university sectors. The proposed framework is intended to advance research, policy development, and evidence‑based practice in public health interventions delivered through museums and art galleries.

Abstract

The majority of public health programmes are based in schools, places of employment and in community settings. Likewise, nearly all health-care interventions occur in clinics and hospitals. An underdeveloped area for public health-related planning that carries international implications is the cultural heritage sector, and specifically museums and art galleries. This paper presents a rationale for the use of museums and art galleries as sites for public health interventions and health promotion programmes through discussing the social role of these organisations in the health and well-being of the communities they serve. Recent research from several countries is reviewed and integrated into a proposed framework for future collaboration between cultural heritage, health-care and university sectors to further advance research, policy development and evidence-based practice.