Music and Health Equality: a Conceptual Framework

Abstract Book of the 10th International Conference on Modern Approaches in Humanities and Social Sciences

Year: 2025

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Music and Health Equality: a Conceptual Framework

Kevin Cheng

ABSTRACT:

The purpose of this paper is to construct a conceptual framework identifying various ways music can improve health equity and review the strengths and weaknesses of the supporting literature. In this way, this research aims to guide future research on urgent gaps in the current literature. To that end, in addition to reviewing the existing literature, experts in the music-health field (such as practicing music therapists and researchers) were interviewed. Based on this, this paper made several conclusions. First, this field of research, of music-based behavioral interventions and their potential to improve health equity, is limited by cross-sectional and inconsistent methodology (such as differing measures of cognitive impairment) and small study populations, all of which limit the generalizability of findings. Second, many of the diseases examined in this paper (like stress, cardiovascular disease and cognitive issues) are skewed against marginalized groups (such as people of color and hispanic individuals). And finally, music has the potential to improve health equality at both an individual and community level. Individually, music therapy can improve cultural pride, disseminate health information, and yield other benefits that alleviate stress, promote general health, etc. Communally, music can be used to rally political attention around important issues, pressuring policy makers to pass healthy public policy. Yet, music has been overlooked thus far, and consequently, future research should further investigate the pathways identified in this conceptual framework with cohesive studies that feature consistent and longitudinal methodologies and diverse study populations.

Keywords: Health Equality, Disease, Music, Music Therapy, Public Policy