Creative Arts Therapies to Improve Health and Well-Being in Obesity? A Systematic Literature Review of Current Research

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this systematic literature review was to assess the effects of creative arts therapies on the health and well-being of overweight/obese patients. METHODS: The database search was conducted in "American Search Ultimate, PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES, ERIC, MEDLINE (via PubMed), OpenDissertations, PSYNDEX Literature with PSYNDEX Test, SocINDEX, SocINDEX with Full Text," covering the period from 2000 to 2024. Studies with evidence level I-IV, subjects with a BMI >25 were included. RESULTS: Twelve studies, including five controlled studies, were analysed. Significant results were achieved in self-esteem, quality of life, body awareness, dissatisfaction with one's own body, social relationships, changes in health and eating behaviour; there was a lower impact on body image, emotional eating, communication skills, and dealing with your own body shape. DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION: Creative arts therapies can make a valuable contribution to the health promotion for overweight individuals. Increased integration into weight reduction programs would be a logical next step. Future research should place greater emphasis on increasing sample sizes, employing control groups, specifying types of interventions and settings, and expanding the inclusion of children and adolescents as target groups to validate existing findings and to enhance the informative value of the results.