Not So Grim Up North
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Not So Grim Up North- investigating the health and wellbeing outcomes of museum activities
IRAS ID
199643
Contact name
Helen Chatterjee
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University College London
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
UCL Data Protection Number , Z6364106/2016/01/07
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 8 months, 14 days
Research summary
This study will examine the efficacy of museum activities in terms of health and wellbeing outcomes for four target groups: adult mental health service-users, adults in addiction recovery, stroke rehabilitation patients and hospital inpatients living with dementia. The research is funded through the Arts Council England and will be carried out by the research team at University College London, in partnership with the Whitworth Art Gallery and Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums. This study will contribute to understanding the value of cultural activities in psychosocial interventions and for social prescribing.
Participants will be recruited from the established health and culture programmes being delivered by the museum services, in partnership with local NHS Trusts and Third Sector partners. This will include inpatients for museum activities taking place inside a hospital setting (stroke patients, people living with dementia, and mental health patients); and referrals, for activities taking place inside the museums and in community settings (mental health and addiction recovery service-users, and stroke survivors). The museum activities will include object handling, art-making, and craft activities. The activities will be 1 to 2 hour group session once a week, with programmes lasting between 6 and 10 weeks.
The project will develop a mixed-methods framework to collect quantitative data (using existing health measures and questionnaires) and qualitative data (using interviews and observation) for 100 participants over 12 months. The study will collect data prior the sessions (baseline) and at the beginning, middle and end of the museum activities. Follow-on data will be collected at 3, 6 and 12 months to gain a longitudinal and nuanced understanding of the impact of the programmes in terms of health and wellbeing outcomes. Researchers will also interview museum session facilitators, family members, and health/social care professionals, to understand best practice and inform future museum programming and evaluation.
REC name
London - Bromley Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/LO/1053
Date of REC Opinion
15 Jul 2016
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion