The Italian National Institute of Health (Istituto Superiore di Sanità – ISS) is the leading technical and scientific body of the Italian National Health Service. It provides research, expertise and evidence-based guidance to support public health policies and iinitiatives. Through its multidisciplinary activities, ISS promotes innovative approaches to health promotion, disease prevention, and the reduction of health inequalities, with a particular focus on community-based and person-centred models of care.
Within the field of social prescribing, ISS has played a pioneering role in exploring and evaluating innovative interventions that strengthen the integration of healthcare services and community resources. This commitment reflects the ISS broader mission to address the social determinants of health and promote sustainable, preventive and participatory approaches to wellbeing.
One of the most significant social prescribing initiatives developed in Italy to support maternal mental health is “Music and Motherhood”. Originally developed in the United Kingdom by Breathe Arts Health Research under the name ‘Melodies for Mums’, the programme has supported over 2,000 mothers and babies through NHS-commissioned services and local government programmes to date. Based on the substantial evidence gathered in the UK, the WHO Regional Office for Europe selected Music and Motherhood as a pilot intervention to evaluate the feasibility of implementing an arts-based social prescribing model within various European healthcare systems, including those in Italy, Denmark, and Romania.
The Italian pilot, coordinated by ISS between 2022 and 2023, was the first multicentre implementation of a social prescribing intervention in Italy. The programme addresses postpartum depression (PPD), which is one of the most common complications of childbirth affecting approximately one in seven mothers. PPD can profoundly impact a woman’s wellbeing, her relationship with her infant, and family functioning. Despite its prevalence, a substantial proportion of cases remain undetected or untreated due to stigma, limited awareness and insufficient access to dedicated support services. This intervention is particularly relevant in the Italian context. It is estimated that PPD affects around 49,000 women in Italy every year, yet access to specialised psychological support remains uneven. Only around 60% of primary care maternal and child health services offer on-site psychological support, and dedicated care pathways for perinatal mental health are available in only a minority of specialist mental health services. This gap highlights the need for scalable, accessible and non-stigmatising interventions that can complement existing healthcare provision.
Music and Motherhood responds to this by offering a structured ten-week group singing programme (1.5-hour session per week), delivered by trained music professionals in community settings. Healthcare professionals identify mothers experiencing symptoms of PPD during routine postnatal care and connect them with the programme through a social prescribing pathway. By bringing together healthcare services, community organisations, and cultural actors, the intervention promotes maternal wellbeing, strengthens social connectedness, and reduces isolation. ISS played a central role in in adapting, implementing, monitoring and evaluating the programme in Italy, providing scientific leadership and methodological expertise. The pilot confirmed the effectiveness and acceptability of the intervention in real-world healthcare settings, demonstrating significant improvements in maternal wellbeing and PPD symptoms, high levels of engagement, and strong endorsement from healthcare professionals. The programme has subsequently expanded through a second implementation phase involving additional sites and regions, further strengthening the evidence base for social prescribing in Italy. The impact of Music and Motherhood extends beyond individual health outcomes. Untreated PPD cases can have long-term consequences for child development, family wellbeing, and social cohesion. Evidence from economic evaluations has shown that the societal costs associated with a single case of PPD are substantial, with a significant proportion of these costs resulting from long-term impacts on children. By intervening early, Music and Motherhood contributes not only to maternal mental health, but also promotes healthier developmental trajectories for children, fostering more resilient families
and communities.
Through Music and Motherhood, ISS has strengthened national capacity to design, evaluate, and scale social prescribing interventions, while fostering collaboration between the health, social, and cultural sectors. The programme demonstrates how evidence-based, non-pharmacological approaches can be successfully integrated into public health services, offering a sustainable, person-centred model of care. Participation in initiatives such as Invest4Health provides an opportunity to further consolidate and scale this experience. Building on the results achieved through Music and Motherhood, ISS intends to support the wider implementation of social prescribing approaches across Italy. This will generate evidence for policy development, strengthen cross-sectoral partnerships and contribute to more equitable, efficient and sustainable health systems. Through innovative investment models and strategic partnerships, Music and Motherhood has the potential to become a nationwide intervention capable of improving the lives of thousands of mothers, children, and families.
