Lugano launches a pioneering project: arts on prescription to improve citizens' health

An innovative "arts on prescription" pilot project kicks off in Lugano, aimed at exploring the positive impact of artistic and cultural activities on the health and wellbeing of individuals over the age of 65 who are affected by chronic lifestyle-related diseases. The study, a first in Switzerland, is promoted by the City of Lugano, the IBSA Foundation for Scientific Research and the Institute of Family Medicine of Università della Svizzera italiana (USI), in collaboration with LAC Lugano Arte e Cultura.

The initiative is part of the Cultura e Salute (meaning Culture and Health) project, launched in 2020 by the Culture Division of the City of Lugano and IBSA Foundation, to promote initiatives and synergies between the worlds of culture and health and to demonstrate the positive effect of cultural activities on people's wellbeing.

A new model of integrated care: Art and culture as instruments of wellbeing

Arts on prescription is an innovative healthcare approach that allows general practitioners (GPs) to recommend artistic activities to their patients. This study aims to test the feasibility and acceptability of such an intervention for residents over the age of 65 in the municipality of Lugano.

The activities, which range from painting, photography, music, dance, theatre and museum therapy, are an integral part of a structured programme. Participants will receive personalised mentorship provided by a trained professional known as a link worker. This individual will assist them in selecting and engaging in activities that align with their interests and needs.

The clinical study

The pilot project, which will be carried out in collaboration with local family doctors, will be a low-risk clinical study (Category A according to ClinO) registered with the WHO ICTRP and the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) platforms. The plan includes:

• the recruitment of 100 participants, 80 of whom will be actively involved in artistic activities and 20 assigned to a control group;
• a total duration of 18 months for each participant, with three evaluations (initial, at 6 months and 12 months);
• the use of questionnaires, clinical examinations and smartwatches to monitor changes in mental health, wellbeing, fixed parameters and quality of life;
• a qualitative sub-study with interviews with participants, clinicians and practitioners.

The principal investigator is Prof. Dr Med. Luca Gabutti, who will lead the research team at Ospedale Italiano in Lugano and Università della Svizzera italiana. The research team also includes Marta Fadda and Serena Petrocchi for USI, Nicola Grignoli and Martina Zandonà for the EOC. Silvia Misiti for the IBSA Foundation and Luigi Di Corato for the City of Lugano are also part of the working group.

Link workers assigned to the project will conduct personalised interviews with each participant to identify the creative activity that best aligns with their sensitivities. Over six months, there will be weekly sessions led by specialised cultural mediators explicitly trained for this purpose. These activities will be conducted in collaboration with LAC Lugano Arte e Cultura as part of the LAC Edu program, which has significant experience in cultural mediation at all levels.

Objectives and expected impact

Through this study and the accompanying academic course, the City of Lugano and the IBSA Foundation aim to explore and promote a new model of care that integrates health, culture, and education. This initiative seeks to provide direct benefits to participants, reduce social isolation, and produce valuable evidence at the national level that could support the inclusion of cultural elements in cantonal and federal health policies.

The project meets education: presentation of the Cultura e Salute 2025 course

The project launch will also be an opportunity to officially present the fifth Cultura e Salute course, titled: "Doctors and Social Prescription. Treating with sport, nature, culture and voluntary work". Promoted by the USI Faculty of Biomedical Sciences with IBSA Foundation and the Culture Division of the City of Lugano, the course will be held from 6 October to 24 November 2025, every Monday from 6 pm to 7:45 pm at Aula Polivalente, East Campus Lugano. The lectures are open to students, doctoral students, and the general public.

The course will not only focus on the arts but will explore the various dimensions of social prescription with the contribution of international scholars and experts from Europe, the United States, Canada, Singapore and Japan. Each lecture will include an introductory presentation followed by a discussion with specialists. Topics will include exercise, contact with nature, art, volunteering and social inclusion. In addition to Prof. Enzo Grossi, the course's scientific committee is composed of Luigi di Corato of the City of Lugano, Silvia Misiti of IBSA Foundation and Julia Hotz, author of the book "The Connection Cure", a reference volume on the subject.

Lectures lineup:

06.10 - Social prescription: a global overview

Julia Hotz, journalist and author of the book The Connection Cure, will lead the introductory lecture by presenting an international overview of the benefits of social prescribing in the treatment of common disorders such as anxiety. A scientific contextualisation by Enzo Grossi, physician and science communicator expert in wellbeing and health promotion will precede her talk.

20.10 - Physical activity as a complementary therapy

Physical activity will be the focus of the talk by Dr Mandy Zang from the Exercise is Medicine programme in Singapore, who will illustrate the scientific evidence of the efficacy of exercise in the prevention and management of chronic diseases. Dr Ollie Hart (NHS Sheffield) will bring practical examples of the application of exercise prescription in general practice settings.

27.10 - Nature and wellbeing: Biophilia in medicine

Nature therapy, which includes therapeutic horticulture, forest bathing and prescribed ecological activities, will be presented by Enzo Grossi, with an in-depth discussion by Prof. Qing Li (Tokyo), one of the leading international experts in Shinrin-yoku, the Japanese art of forest bathing.

03.11 - Art for the mind and heart

The efficacy of Arts on Prescription will be analysed by Prof. Anita Jensen (Lund University) through the results of an international review. This will be followed by a talk by Inga Surgunte (Latvian Academy of Culture), who will illustrate European social inclusion projects through art.

10.11 - Volunteering as a tool for healing

The therapeutic value of volunteering will be the focus of a lecture by Bev Taylor, a former consultant for the British NHS, followed by an in-depth discussion by Prof. Stephen Post (Stony Brook University, New York), an expert on the relationship between altruism and health.

17.11 - Loneliness and social inclusion

The series will conclude with insights from two esteemed speakers: Julianne Holt-Lunstadt, a psychologist and neuroscientist from Brigham Young University in Utah, and Cristiano Figueiredo, a family doctor and trainer based in Lisbon. They will reflect on the medical and social implications of isolation, highlighting the importance of relational inclusion.

24.11 - A link between training and practice: the Lugano case

The 2025 edition will end with the official presentation of the "arts on prescription" pilot project promoted by the City of Lugano, IBSA Foundation and the Institute of Family Medicine of USI, in collaboration with LAC Edu, which experiments with the inclusion of artistic and cultural activities in the care of senior citizens with chronic diseases.

Jess Bone, from the WHO Collaborating Centre on Arts and Health at UCL London, will introduce the initiative.