Addressing the Calls for Evidence in Arts and Health: A Quantitative Approach to Understanding the Role of the Arts in the Wellbeing of the Mid West Region of Western Australia

Despite ambitious claims about the role of the arts in health and wellbeing, and the wealth of quantitative data on the nature of wellbeing, there has been little attempt to quantify the benefits or impacts of the arts using available social indicators. As understanding the role of the arts in the wellbeing of communities is a complex task, this research used a regional case-study to determine a statistical understanding of the relationship between wellbeing and arts engagement, contextualised with existing literature, to capture the uniqueness of the arts experience in a local context. The Mid West region of Western Australia was chosen as the case-study region for its economic and cultural diversity, making this research a distinct shift from a single community case study approach. Data were collected through a household survey measuring self-reported wellbeing and extent of arts engagement. Using backward regression, the final model showed a significant effect for performing arts attendees compared with those who did not attend (V = 0.34, F(3,309) = 3.593, p = 0.014) and arts participants compared with those who did not participate in the arts (V = 0.026, F(3,309) = 2.732, p = 0.044). While there are a number of limitations, this type of analysis is possible and lends support to the complex role of the arts in the wellbeing of the case-study region. The benefits from arts engagement are vast and varied and are both accumulative and a perishable commodity. While further research is required to refine research methods, this research provides some groundwork to further understand the complexity and harness the benefits of the arts for the health and wellbeing of individuals and communities at large

Developing the Perth Charter for the Promotion of Mental Health and Wellbeing

While the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion promotes a holistic approach to health promotion, health promotion in practice has largely been confined to physical health promotion. Hence the organising committee for the Seventh World Conference on the Promotion of Mental Health and Prevention of Mental and Behavioural Disorders (held 17–19 October 2012 in Perth, WA) decided to develop a ‘Perth Charter for Mental Health Promotion and Wellbeing,’ which has just been published in the International Journal of Mental Health Promotion. It was hoped that the Perth Charter for Mental Health Promotion would be helpful as a first step towards eventual integration of physical and mental health promotion. The Charter was designed to be succinct and actionable, and was developed in three phases through an iterative feedback process with input from health professionals around the globe. The Perth Charter is intended to be a useful resource for mental health professionals in advocating for greater resource allocation and policy support for mental health, and mental health promotion in particular at a local level. It was envisaged that the Perth Charter would do for mental health promotion what the Ottawa Charter did for health promotion generally, and physical health promotion in particular. An abridged version of the Perth Charter is provided within this review, while the full version is available for download from the Clifford Beers Foundation or from Dr Julia Anwar McHenry

The Development of the Perth Charter for the Promotion of Mental Health and Wellbeing

The Perth Charter for the Promotion of Mental Health and Wellbeing is an initiative of the organizing committee of the 7th World Conference on the Promotion of Mental Health and Prevention of Mental and Behavioural Disorders. An iterative feedback process was used to develop and revise the charter principles in consultation with health professionals. A final online survey showed strong support for each of the eight principles, which were rated ‘essential’ (as distinct from ‘desirable’ or ‘not relevant’) by 73–96% of respondents. The principles were supported most strongly by practitioners, of whom 85–100% classified each as ‘essential’. It is hoped that mental health professionals find the Charter useful for advocating for greater resource allocation in their jurisdictions to mental health, in general and to mental health promotion in particular

Indigenous Aeta Magbukún self-identity, social-political structures, and self-determination at the local level in the Philippines

The Indigenous Aeta Magbukún maintain a primarily nomadic hunter-gatherer lifestyle in their forested ancestral lands. Through the continued encroachment of non-Indigenous populations, the Aeta Magbukún persist at a critical level. Finding it increasingly difficult to sustain their traditional livelihoods, they must engage in informal commerce to procure sufficient food throughout the year. This work explores the basis of self-identity, traditional kinship ties, evolution of sociopolitical organisation, and the developing political options that sustain the small and vulnerable Indigenous population. Despite recent tentative sociopolitical developments, securing cultural protection requires greater effort in developing political communication and representation at a local and national level. In doing so, the Aeta Magbukún can meet their basic needs, secure traditional cultural knowledge, and are able to influence their own development during a time of relatively rapid acculturation within the mainstream Philippine societal complex

Impact Evaluation of the Act-Belong-Commit Mental Health Promotion Campaign

Purpose – Act-Belong-Commit is a community-based positive mental health promotion campaign that targets individuals to engage in activities that enhance their mental health while targeting community organisations that provide such activities to promote their activities under the banner of the Act-Belong-Commit message. This paper aims to detail key findings from a population impact evaluation of the campaign conducted in 2010.Design/methodology/approach – Computer-assisted telephone interviews (CATI) were conducted on a randomly selected adult sample (n=1,113) using quotas to obtain equal representation by age and gender. The questionnaire contained items gauging campaign reach, the impact of the campaign on individual beliefs and behaviours, and perceived societal impact of the campaign on mental illness stigma and openness to mental health issues.Findings – The campaign reached 75 per cent of the population. Amongst those exposed to the campaign, 25 per cent reported changing the way they thought about mental health and mental illness, and 20 per cent reported some behaviour change. The campaign was perceived to be effective in making people more open about mental health issues (77 per cent of reached respondents) and reducing stigma surrounding mental illness (68 per cent of reached respondents).Practical implications – The campaign provides a framework for increasing mental health literacy on a population scale.Originality/value – With its focus on the positive aspects of mental health, the paper shows that the campaign is unique in promoting behaviours that people can and should do to build and maintain good mental health, while also encouraging community organisations and groups that provide mentally healthy activities to partner with the campaign to make mental health “everybody's business”

Indigenous-Owned Pastoral Land Forestry Carbon Biosequestration and Bioenergy Options in Arid, Salt-Affected Western Australian Regions

This research comprises a technical and economic feasibility study of geoengineering and revegetating 1,500 ha on an Indigenous-owned pastoral lease in an arid region (<250 mm mean annual rainfall) in the Mid West Region of Western Australia for forestry carbon biosequestration and bioenergy projects. A single tree species, Eucalyptus camaldulensis, an indigenous species of the region was used in two modelled scenarios. The carbon biosequestration and NPC (8% p.a. real discount rate) was modelled over 15 years, yielding an equivalent mitigation cost of AUD15.34 tCO2-e-1, assuming the total biosequestration (185,635 tCO2-e) was forward sold in year 0 in the first scenario. In the second scenario the stand was the primary feedstock for a biorefinery producing activated carbon, renewable electricity, and biodiesel produced from 20 t day-1 (16% moisture) E. camaldulensis, with harvesting commencing in the sixth year after stand establishment. The final total biosequestration for both the unharvested and harvested stand scenarios were modelled as identical in the 15th year. The NPV of the biorefinery was modelled separately from stand biosequestration also discounted at 8% p.a. Depending on the mitigation assumptions, and the commercial costs/prices of inputs/outputs over the 15 years, the biorefinery NPV ranged from slightly below zero to AUD6.5 million, and mitigated a further 74,000tCO2-e

My art has a secret mission: the role of the arts in Australian rural, remote and Indigenous communities

Images of Australia are dominated by rural landscapes and depictions of the outback. However, rural Australia is undergoing social and economic change, with some commentators suggesting that rural Australia is in crisis. Rural Australia, in general, ranks lower than the rest of Australia on health and other socio-economic indicators. This is especially true for the nation's Indigenous population for whom the majority live outside the metropolitan areas of the capital cities. It has been suggested by policy makers, the arts sector, and communities themselves that the arts can address some of these inequities. Yet, there is limited research on the role of the arts in the health and sustainability of rural communities. This research examines the role of the arts in the rural communities of the Mid West region of Western Australia, a socially and economically diverse region, traditionally reliant on primary industry, with a high proportion of Indigenous residents. The findings show that people engage in the arts for a wide variety of reasons in an even wider variety of settings. More importantly, despite initial intentions of an arts project or activity, the arts provides common ground and a means to develop, strengthen, or reinvent a sense of community in response to local and global challenges

Unique Challenges in Developing Capacity in Rural and Remote Australia: Arts Utility in Growing Rural and Remote Places

The development of capacity is a relevant concern in the face of the spatially uneven outcomes of globally-driven economic and societal change. This spatial inequity is highly pronounced in rural and remote regions of Australia, with particular concern over the challenges posed by ageing and declining populations. Increasing interest is being paid to factors that determine resilience of rural and remote communities, and how capacity can be fostered, developed, and maintained over time. The utility of the arts in developing capacity in rural and remote Australia has been a topic of increasing interest to researchers, policy makers, and the communities themselves. For rural and remote communities, many challenges are posed by vast distances and very low population densities. These challenges can be mitigated by the arts through their ability to communicate and strengthen place identity and culture, as a setting for social and civic participation, and in supporting innovation and economic regeneration. Using the unique setting of the Mid West region of Western Australia, this chapter reviews the utility of the arts as a tool for capacity development in some of Australia's most disadvantaged and remote regions. This chapter shows the fundamental difference of arts practice in these regions revealing distinct cultures and lifestyles that are inherently shaped by notions of distance, and the scarcity of human resources and economic capital. In acknowledging the utility of the arts to develop economic, human, and social capital and foster enabling environments for increased wellbeing and quality of life, there is an obligation to support the arts as a vehicle to develop capacity in rural and remote communities