Table 1.

Summary of study characteristics

Author(s) of Corresponding Study(s)	Intervention/programme name	Research design	Population sample sizes (pre–post assessment data and mean age and sex)	Participant ethnicity* (postassessment data)	Employment status (postassessment data)	Reason for referral	Duration of Follow-up	Referral pathway (Husk et al)8
Crone et al26	Art Lift	Uncontrolled Before/after study	Preassessment n=157 Postassessment n=84 (mean age=57, SD=15), male n=22, female n=62	NR	NR	Anxiety and depression	2.5 months	Direct Referral from Link Worker in Primary Care
Crone et al27		Uncontrolled Before/after study	Preassessment n=818 Postassessment n=651 (mean age=51.9, SD=15.9), male n=142†, female n=509	NR	NR	Anxiety and depression	2.5 months	Direct Referral from Link Worker in Primary Care
Sumner et al28		Uncontrolled Before/after study	Preassessment n=547 Postassessment n=418 (mean age=49.7, SD=15.5), male n=83†, female n=335	NR	In‡ n=76 Out§ n=176 Retired n=103	Anxiety and depression	2.5 months	Direct Referral from Link Worker in Primary Care
Sumner et al29		Uncontrolled Before/after study	Preassessment n=245 Postassessment n=110 (mean age=51.3, SD=15.9), male n=16†, female n=94	NR	In‡ n=22 Out§ n=86 Retired n=NR Unknown n=2	Anxiety and depression	2 months	Direct Referral from Link Worker in Primary Care
van de Venter et al30	Art Shine	Uncontrolled Before/after study	Preassessment n=NR Postassessment n=44 (mean age=43, SD=NR), male n=7, female n=36, other n=1	‘White British’ n=29 (66%) ‘Black and minority ethnic’ n=9 (21%) Unknown n=6	NR	Depression and social isolation	5 months	Direct Referral from Primary Care
Foster et al31	British Red Cross: Connecting Communities	Uncontrolled Before/after study	Preassessment n=NR Postassessment n=2250 (mean age=65.6, SD=18.8), male n=702, female n=1426, other n=122	‘White British’ n=1,313 (58%) ‘Not White British’ n=499 (22%) Unknown n=438	NR	Loneliness	3 months	Link Worker Model
Roberts and Windl32	Cadwyn Mon	Uncontrolled Before/after study	Preassessment n=182 Postassessment n=120 (mean age=76.7, SD=NR), male n=22, female n=98, other n=1	NR	NR	Loneliness and social isolation	3.75 months	Link Worker Model
Afuwape et al33	Cares of Life Project	Randomised controlled trial	n=16 Intervention group Preassessment n=20 Postassessment n=16 (mean age=43.6, SD=7.7) male n=NR, female n=NR n=16 Comparison group Preassessment n=20 Postassessment n=16 (mean age=32.6, SD=11.0) male n=NR, female n=NR	‘All participants were of Black African Origin or Black Caribbean Origin’ n=32	NR	Anxiety and depression	3 months	Direct referral from multiple Sectors¶
Morton et al34	Fife Social Prescribing (Mood Café)	Uncontrolled Before/after study	Preassessment n=174 Postassessment n=136 (mean age=52, SD=11), male n=37, female n=99†	NR	NR	Anxiety and depression	NR	Link Worker Model
Thomson et al35	GROW: Art, Park and Well-being	Uncontrolled Before/after study	Preassessment n=20 Postassessment n=20 (mean age=NR), male n=11, female n=9†	NR	NR	Mental well-being	2.5 months	Direct referral from Community and Local Mental Health Services
Pescheny et al36	Luton Social Prescribing Programme	Uncontrolled Before/after study	Preassessment n=162 Postassessment n=63 (mean age=NR), male n=23, female n=40	NR	In‡ n=22 Out§ n=41	Mild to moderate mental health issues	Dependant on Needs Assessment	Link Worker Model
Thomson et al37	Museums on Prescription	Uncontrolled Before/after study	Preassessment n=NR Postassessment n=115 (mean age=NR), male n=42†, female n=73	‘White-British’ n=94 (82%) Other=NR	NR	Social isolation	2.5 months	Direct Referral from Community Care
Kellezi et al38	Social Cure and Social Prescribing	Uncontrolled Before/after study	Preassessment n=630 Postassessment n=178 (mean age=55.8, SD=13.8), male=86, female=91, other n=1	NR	NR	Loneliness	4 months	Link Worker Model
Wakefield et al39		Uncontrolled Before/after study	Preassessment n=630 Postassessment n=63 (mean age=57.1, SD=15.7), male=32, female=31	NR	NR	Social isolation and loneliness	9 months	Link Worker Model
Jones et al40	Southwest Well-being Programme	Uncontrolled Before/after study	Preassessment n=841 Postassessment n=687 (mean age=NR), male n=179, female n=357, other n=151	‘White’ n=623 (91%) ‘Black or Minority Ethnic Group’ n=38 (6%) Unknown n=26	In‡ n=259 Out§ n=198 Retired n=209 Other n=21	Anxiety and depression	3 months	Direct Referral from Community Care
Carnes et al41	Unnamed Intervention	Matched groups design	Survey Study Intervention Group Preassessment, n=184 Postassessment, n=65 (mean age=NR) male=NR, female=NR Comparison group (matched based on age, GP attendance and diagnosis) Preassessment, n=302 Postassessment, n=127 Mean age=NR mMale=NR, female=NR Analysis of healthcare Resource use Intervention group, n=377 (Mean age=NR) male=NR, female=NR Comparison group (matched based on age, sex, ethnicity and comorbidities), n=7540 Mean age=NR male=NR, female=NR	Survey Study Intervention Group Post-assessment=NR Comparison group Preassessment: White n=170 Non-white n=123 Post-assessment=NR Analysis of Healthcare Resource use=NR	NR	Anxiety and depression	8 months	Link Worker Model
Maund et al42	Wetlands for Well-being	Uncontrolled Before/after Sstudy	Preassessment n=16 Postassessment n=16 (mean age=NR), male=8, female=8	‘White-British’ n=13 (82%) ‘White-Other’ n=3 (19%)	In‡ n=1 Out§ n=10 Retired n=5	Anxiety and depression	1.5 months	Link worker model from community referral

*Terminology used by authors.

†Not explicitly reported, calculated by authors.

‡In=in work, education or position of responsibility.

§Out=out of work, education or position of responsibility.

¶Multiple sector—referral from a combination of the following: general practitioner, healthcare professional, community, self-referral, secondary care or social care.

NR, not reported.