Arts, cultural engagement and health inequalities: critical reflections on the UK Creative Health Review (2023)

The Creative Health Review (CHR) published in 2023 is an advocacy document by the UK National Centre for Creative Health and the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Arts, Health and Wellbeing. The CHR defines creative health activities as visual and performing arts, crafts, film, literature, cooking, gardening, and visits to cultural centres and heritage sites and claims that active promotion of such activities in socially disadvantaged communities and among marginalised groups can mitigate health inequalities. The report relies on case studies and testimonies of lived experiences as primary sources of evidence. Our critical reflections on methods and content show that the CHR is insufficient to substantiate its claims. Instead, it fails to acknowledge the need to adhere to established frameworks of critical appraisal and evidence synthesis. In conclusion, the CHR does not provide a foundation for evidence-based public health policies and practice to address health inequalities through culture and the arts.