EpiArts Lab: National Endowment for the Arts Research Lab
The EpiArts Lab, an NEA Research Lab at UF in partnership with UCL, applies advanced epidemiological methods to study how arts and cultural engagement affect health outcomes. Findings provide evidence to guide policy, healthcare, and public health practice in the U.S.
The EpiArts Lab at the University of Florida Center for Arts in Medicine is a National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Research Lab dedicated to advancing knowledge at the intersection of arts, culture, and population health. In partnership with University College London’s Social Biobehavioral Research Group, the Lab applies advanced epidemiological methods to investigate how arts and cultural engagement influence health outcomes in the United States.
Led in the U.S. by Dr. Jill Sonke, with Dr. Fancourt serving as principal investigator in the U.K., the Lab builds on more than a decade of pioneering research in the United Kingdom led by Dr. Daisy Fancourt, extending this work to the unique social, cultural, and healthcare contexts of the U.S. Using large-scale longitudinal cohort studies, EpiArts explores how diverse forms of arts participation—ranging from attending cultural events to engaging in creative practice—relate to a growing range of health outcomes including mental health, life satisfaction, social connectedness, physical health, healthcare utilization and more. This body of work provides critical insights into the mechanisms by which arts engagement contributes to health and wellbeing across the lifespan. Its findings aim to inform policy, practice, and funding strategies by demonstrating the measurable health benefits of the arts and their potential role as a public health intervention.
The EpiArts Lab is supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Pabst-Steinmetz Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Dharma Endowment Foundation, the State of Florida Division of Arts and Culture, and Americans for the Arts. Through this support, the Lab is generating a robust evidence base to guide the integration of arts and culture into health systems, community initiatives, and national health policy.
Programs & Activities
EpiArts Lab has completed phases one through three of the project. The Lab is currently in phase four. Explore how the research agenda has taken shape below.
Phase One:
The project began with a comprehensive review of datasets to identify relevant variables for analysis, drawn from hundreds of questions on arts participation, health, and well-being. Findings informed three national roundtable discussions with arts and public health stakeholders to define priority research questions and outcomes. These convenings, held across the U.S., engaged diverse practitioners, researchers, policymakers, and agency leaders. This phase also established partnerships with key federal agencies and organizations to maximize policy impact and lay the groundwork for future multi-site experimental studies.
Phase Two:
During this phase, we tested associations between arts engagement and specific health outcomes that were determined through the convenings in phase one. The investigation included different types of arts activities that combine various mechanistic components and explored the mediating role of potential causal mechanisms.
We sequenced our analyses and publications according to which questions were of greatest immediate relevance to policy and practice. Our work produced publications in high-impact public health journals. See our full publications list on our website.
Phase Three:
In its third phase, the Lab continued statistical analyses exploring the effects of arts participation on physical health outcomes. The Lab also explored Social Prescribing in the US through implementation science studies, development of a set of key common outcomes for social prescribing research in the US, and development of a core outcomes set for social isolation.
Phase Four
Phase four of the research agenda examines longitudinal datasets from the U.S. alongside selected international data, including longitudinal studies from Australia, England, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Norway, and Malawi, to explore how arts engagement influences health outcomes such as mental health, life satisfaction, and overall well-being. These datasets enable a comparison of the impact of arts engagement across different cultural and social contexts.
Using advanced methods like causal analysis and multilevel modeling, this phase isolates the impact of arts participation from factors like socioeconomic status and personality and simulates interventions to assess how the arts compare to other health-promoting activities. By leveraging global datasets and incorporating new U.S. data, Phase Four deepens understanding of the complex relationships between arts engagement and health, providing evidence to guide public health strategies and policy development.
Key Research Aims:
Identify the "Ingredients" of Arts and Culture:
-Analyze how and when individuals engage with arts and culture and whether this evolves over time in the US.
-Evaluate which “active ingredients” of arts and cultural activities impact outcomes like mental health, subjective well-being, and psychological resilience.
Explore Mechanisms of Action:
-Investigate the pathways linking arts engagement to positive health outcomes, including clinical and biological indicators of aging.
-Use mediation and structural equation modeling to uncover explanatory mechanisms.
-Explore whether pathways are consistent across diverse demographic groups.
Use Advanced Statistical Methods:
-Compare the benefits of arts engagement to other health-promoting activities, such as physical exercise.
-Apply multilevel modeling to explore individual- and area-level contexts.
-Use parametric survival models to assess the time-to-onset of illness.
-Improve causal inference techniques.
Health Outcome Focus Areas:
-Prevalence of mental illness
-Multidimensional aspects of wellbeing (life satisfaction, eudaimonia, etc)
-Self-rated health
-Healthcare utilization
Report:
Arts, Culture and Social Prescribing in the United States: 23 Case Studies, 2023-2024
This report explores 23 arts, culture, and social prescribing programs across 11 U.S. states, detailing their design, implementation, funding, and impact. Conducted by the EpiArts Lab at the University of Florida, in partnership with University College London's Social Biobehavioral Research Group, the study examines how these programs operate, the populations they serve, and key challenges and opportunities. Findings aim to inform the future of arts and social prescribing in the U.S. Read the full report to learn more on the EpiArts website.
The Lancet Public Health Viewpoint Article
As a companion piece to the report, The Lancet Public Health published a Viewpoint titled Social Prescribing in the US: emerging learning and opportunities. Explore this open-access article for further insights into the report and how you can contribute to the growing arts and social prescribing movement in the U.S.