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One Nation/One Project Research Brief #2

In 2022 and 2023, One Nation/One Project leaders conducted site visits in nine communities, using sensory exercises to create data poems that reflect each community's unique characteristics, grounding their research in the experiences of community members.

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Research Gary Ricke Research Gary Ricke

One Nation/One Project Research Brief #1

The research brief by One Nation/One Project proposes a new, inclusive definition for "arts participation" to enhance public health research by considering a wide range of artistic and creative practices across different communities.

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Research Gary Ricke Research Gary Ricke

Arts Engagement is a Health Behavior

Rodriguez, A. K., Akram, S., Colverson, A. J., Hack, G., Golden, T. L., & Sonke, J. (2023). Arts Engagement as a Health Behavior: An Opportunity to Address Mental Health Inequities. Community health equity research & policy, 2752535X231175072. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/2752535X231175072

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Research Gary Ricke Research Gary Ricke

Hobby engagement and mental wellbeing among people aged 65 years and older in 16 countries

This international study across 16 countries and 93,263 participants shows that hobby engagement is universally associated with improved mental wellbeing, including fewer depressive symptoms, and higher self-reported health, happiness, and life satisfaction, suggesting that promoting hobby engagement is a valuable strategy for supporting healthy aging globally, despite varying prevalence of hobby engagement across countries.

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Research Gary Ricke Research Gary Ricke

Associations of arts and cultural engagement with substance use trajectories in adolescence and early adulthood: a latent growth curve analysis of the Add Health cohort

This study on US adolescents finds that engagement in arts and cultural activities is initially associated with a reduced risk of substance use (alcohol intoxication and tobacco use), but this protective effect diminishes over time, suggesting the need for sustained engagement in these activities for long-term benefits.

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Research Gary Ricke Research Gary Ricke

Leisure engagement and self-perceptions of aging: Longitudinal analysis of concurrent and lagged relationships

This study of older adults in the United States finds that leisure engagement, including community, cognitive, creative, and physical activities, positively influences self-perceptions of aging, with some evidence of a reciprocal relationship in creative and physical activities, suggesting that increasing leisure engagement may improve health by enhancing positive aging perceptions.

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Research Gary Ricke Research Gary Ricke

Participatory and Receptive Arts Engagement in Older Adults: Associations with Cognition Over a Seven-Year Period

This study on older adults finds that moderate engagement in both participatory and receptive arts activities is associated with improvements in executive function/language and episodic/working memory, respectively, suggesting potential cognitive benefits comparable to those of vigorous physical activity, while also highlighting methodological considerations for future research on the relationship between arts engagement and cognition.

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Research Gary Ricke Research Gary Ricke

Associations between extracurricular arts activities, school‐based arts engagement, and subsequent externalising behaviours in the Early Childhood LongitudinalStudy

This study finds that individual engagement in extracurricular arts activities is associated with fewer adolescent externalizing behaviors, suggesting a benefit in risk reduction for such behaviors, while no association was found with school-based arts engagement or the provision of arts classes and facilities at the school level.

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Research Gary Ricke Research Gary Ricke

Associations of Social, Cultural, and Community Engagement With Health Care Utilization in the US Health and Retirement Study

This study demonstrates that greater social, cultural, and community engagement (SCCE) among older adults is linked to more dental and outpatient care, shorter hospital stays, and reduced need for home health and nursing home care, suggesting SCCE promotes beneficial health-seeking behaviors and could help optimize health care utilization and reduce financial burdens on the health system.

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Research Gary Ricke Research Gary Ricke

Creative leisure activities, mental health and well- being during 5 months of the COVID-19 pandemic: a fixed effects analysis of data from 3725 US adults

This study on a US sample during the COVID-19 pandemic found that home-based creative activities like gardening, woodwork/DIY, and arts/crafts are associated with reduced depressive and anxiety symptoms and increased life satisfaction, whereas excessive media consumption is linked to increased depressive symptoms, highlighting the importance of specific types of activities for mental health and well-being during lockdowns.

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Research Gary Ricke Research Gary Ricke

Who Engaged in Home-Based Arts Activities During the COVID-19 Pandemic? A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Data From 4,731 Adults in the United States

This study explores the social patterns of home-based arts engagement during the COVID-19 pandemic in the US, finding that factors like social support, network size, age, race/ethnicity, and experiences of abuse were associated with engagement in activities such as reading, arts and crafts, and digital arts, while socioeconomic and health-related factors had less impact.

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Research Gary Ricke Research Gary Ricke

Longitudinal Associations Between Arts Engagement and Flourishing in Young Adults: A Fixed Effects Analysis of the Panel Study of Income Dynamics

This longitudinal study on emerging adults finds that increased arts engagement is associated with enhanced flourishing, particularly in psychological and social wellbeing, with these benefits more pronounced in metropolitan areas, suggesting the need for equitable arts access across communities to support youth development.

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Research Gary Ricke Research Gary Ricke

Associations between participation in community arts groups and aspects of wellbeing in older adults in the United States: a propensity score matching analysis

This study found that participation in community arts groups among older adults is associated with improved aspects of wellbeing, including higher positive affect, life satisfaction, purpose in life, and mastery, even after adjusting for demographic, socioeconomic, and health factors, suggesting the value of arts engagement in promoting fulfilling and satisfying lives during aging.

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