The arts can play a vital role in improving public health and strengthening disease prevention, offering a fresh approach to healthcare that can help ease pressure on overburdened public hospitals in regions like the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, experts said on Tuesday.
They said that Hong Kong is also well positioned to lead Asia in adopting a new therapy model through high-level policy initiatives.
The remarks came on the opening day of the Hong Kong Global Arts and Health Festival, held at the Hong Kong Baptist University. Running through Saturday, the event brings together representatives from the World Health Organization and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, top epidemiologists and doctors, interdisciplinary artists, as well as community leaders.
The festival aims to promote “arts on prescription” — a social-prescribing model that encourages doctors to refer patients to different forms of creative and cultural activities to help address mental and physical health problems.
Kunle Adewale, global development lead for the Global South Arts and Health Initiative (GSAH) and a co-chair of the event, said: “We gather for a movement that believes creativity is not a luxury, a movement that recognizes culture as a public good, a movement that understands that the arts are not separate from health, but essential to human flourishing, community resilience, and social transformation.”
GSAH aims to advance education, scientific research, and the interdisciplinary practice of the arts in health. Since its founding in 2023, it has reached more than 500,000 people across 45 cities worldwide.
Adewale said the festival — the fourth international conference held under GSAH’s framework and its first in Asia — establishes Hong Kong’s pioneering position in promoting “arts on prescription” in the region.
ALSO READ: Healthcare reforms: Perfecting HK’s ‘excessive burden protection’ model
Karen Mak Hei-wan, a senior research fellow in epidemiology and statistics at University College London and a global population health fellow with the WHO’s Jameel Arts and Health Lab, spoke to China Daily about the importance of promoting “arts on prescription” and its positive effects on health and well-being.
Mak said a 2019 WHO report based on more than 3,000 studies confirmed the vital role the arts play in healing and well-being. Research has found that engaging in the arts can have notable health benefits throughout people’s lifespans, she said.
However, she said the public’s awareness remains limited, and “some feel that art is not for them”. She said she hopes media coverage and medical conferences will help raise the model’s profile.
READ MORE: Are residents taking HK’s high medical standards for granted?
The “social prescribing” model can also alleviate pressure on the healthcare system, while accessible support facilities and affordable costs remain crucial, she added. Hong Kong has rich museum and artistic resources, and “the district health centers are well-positioned to promote it”, Mak said.
A session on Tuesday afternoon focused on translating international research into concrete practices across Asia. Industry leaders also discussed building an ecosystem integrating the arts and healthcare.
Ian Mok, a festival co-chair and lecturer at HKBU, presented findings from local research on intergenerational community music. His study demonstrates that community music interventions significantly enhance participants’ subjective well-being, alleviate loneliness, and foster intergenerational harmony among families.
In the coming days, the festival will also feature keynote speeches, workshops, case studies, and exchange sessions at M+ museum, the Hong Kong Museum of Art, and the Hong Kong Palace Museum.
Contact the writer at atlasshao@chinadailyhk.com
