Culture and Health
Culture and its impact on Health

The overall objective of the Conference is to exchange knowledge, experience and best practices on culture and health. The positive impact of cultural activities on health is primarily important/visible at an individual level, but in fact, their use can also deliver economic benefits at the national, regional, and local levels.

The Conference will focus on evidence-based programmes and projects that demonstrate how culture can be used as a means for improving well-being, for instance, in the case of children with autism or adults with mental disorders.

The demographic changes currently taking place in Europe highlight the relevance that the theme of this conference can have for many European regions. Today there are over 6 million people suffering from dementia in the European Union, and it is predicted that this number will double in the next 20 years along with the ageing of the population. However, if the onset of Alzheimer's disease were delayed by 5 years, its prevalence would decrease by 50%. (1)

This example illustrates why using culture as a tool to prevent or delay a disease, or simply to make everyday life easier for people suffering from it, can be worthwhile in relation to costs and human suffering. This is also the case in many other areas linking culture and health, where regions already recognise they have a direct responsibility. The conference will investigate this question by providing abroad set of examples.

Bringing together experts, regional civil servants and regional politicians, the conference will grant participants the opportunity to not only learn about examples of culture and health activities and their benefits but also about the challenges and best practices involved in concretely designing and implementing such policies.

(1) The Dementia in Europe Yearbook 2008.