Music as a determinant of health among First Nations people in Australia: A scoping narrative review
Document Type
Journal Article
Publication Title
Health Promotion Journal of Australia
Publisher
Wiley
School
Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA)
RAS ID
71534
Funders
Australian Research Council / Griffith University
Grant Number
IN210100044
Abstract
Issue Addressed: While social determinants frameworks are still popular in research about First Nations health in Australia, a growing body of research prefers cultural determinants of health models. Cultural determinants models provide a holistic, strength-based framework to explain connections between health and contextual factors, including the potential role of music and its impact on social and emotional well-being. Given the growing international recognition of links between music, health, and wellbeing through bodies such as the World Health Organisation, this article examines whether and how music practices are acknowledged in First Nations determinants of health literature. Methods: We conducted a scoping narrative review of literature from five databases: Scopus, PsycInfo, CINAHL, PubMed and ProQuest Central. The search returned 60 articles published since 2017, which we analysed in NVivo for common themes. Results: Music was only explicitly identified as a determinant of health in two studies. Yet, participants in five studies identified music and song as directly impacting their social and emotional well-being. When we broadened our frame of analysis to include other forms of expressive cultural practice, one quarter of included studies empirically acknowledged the role of expressive cultural practice for social and emotional well-being. Conclusion: While many recent studies identify the impact of First Nations' expressive practices broadly, they miss important features of First Nations music as a potentially unique cultural, social, political and ecological determinant of health. So What?: There is an opportunity for future research and health determinant modelling to explicitly examine the role of First Nations music and other creative practices for social and emotional well-being.
DOI
10.1002/hpja.865
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
Comments
Scarfe, B., Apps, K., Sunderland, N., Graham, P., Bartleet, B. L., Barry, G., ... & Bracknell, C. (2024). Music as a determinant of health among First Nations people in Australia: A scoping narrative review. Health Promotion Journal of Australia. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1002/hpja.865