Jeanette Fanthome
School of Medicine
The potential of creative participation to enhance health and wellbeing : an ethnographic study of experiences within community arts groups
Creative community activities are currently of interest in health research due to the introduction of the social prescribing model . This model signposts people to community organisations , preventing the over-medicalisation of social problems such as loneliness . Arts and health researchers stress the need for participatory research methods to understand experience in context , not simply final outcomes . Our ethnographic study was conducted in Stoke-on-Trent and consisted of 12 months of fieldwork among two creative organisations - a women ’ s craft group and a men ’ s creative project . During the first 6 months of fieldwork , the researcher ( JF ) crafted , sang , attempted comedy improvisation and shared meals alongside those who ran and took part in the groups . When the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions were introduced , ethnography moved online for a further 6 months . All data , including open-ended interviews and participant diaries , were analysed thematically . Preliminary findings reveal that subjective experience and meaning are deeply intertwined with gender , ethnicity , education and environment . Prolonged immersion as a researcher enabled an understanding of how new communities form to create conditions of safety , acceptance and self-expression . A more nuanced understanding will serve to inform policy-makers , social prescribing models , and advance arts and health initiatives .
Postgraduate Conference 2020 Page 21