Improving the mental and physical health of older community-dwellers with a museum participatory art-based activity: results of a multicentre randomized controlled trial.
Level 2 - randomized trial
Individual randomized controlled trial
PubMed 35578103 · doi:10.1007/s40520-022-02139-3
What was done
A bicentre (Montreal, Canada and Tokyo, Japan), single-blind, two-arm parallel randomized controlled trial evaluated the effects of a participatory art-based museum intervention in 228 community-dwelling older adults (mean age 71.1 ± 5.4 years, 76.3% female). The intervention group participated in weekly 2-hour art-based museum sessions over 12 weeks, while the control group received no art-based intervention. Standardized questionnaires assessed well-being (before and after the 1st and 12th workshops), quality of life, and frailty (at baseline and month 3).
What was found
The abstract reports no exact numerical values, effect sizes, or p-values. It states that well-being and quality of life improved significantly in the intervention group compared to the control group. Frailty results were mixed: there were significantly more vigorous and fewer mildly frail participants in the intervention group compared to controls by month 3, but the reduction in mean frailty score was only a trend.
Why it matters
Structured museum-based art programs may provide an accessible non-pharmacological strategy to improve quality of life and well-being in older adults.
Limits
No quantitative effect sizes, variance measures, or p-values are reported in the abstract. The control group received no active or attention-matched intervention, confounding art engagement with general social contact. The sample was predominantly female (76.3%), and long-term sustainability beyond 12 weeks was not evaluated.
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