Publication Cover
Arts & Health
An International Journal for Research, Policy and Practice
Volume 1, 2009 - Issue 1
374
Views
50
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Original Articles

Attending cultural events and cancer mortality: A Swedish cohort study

, , , , &
Pages 64-73 | Received 13 Jun 2008, Accepted 07 Aug 2008, Published online: 25 Feb 2009
 

Abstract

Attendance at cultural events is associated with better survival and self-rated health. This study aimed to determine whether attendance at cinemas, theater, art galleries, live music shows, and museums was associated with cancer-related mortality. A randomly selected, cancer-free cohort of Swedish adults aged 25–74 years (n = 9011), formed in 1990–91, was followed up to 31 December 2003. The outcome measure was cancer-related mortality. The main independent variable was a cultural attendance index. A proportional hazards analysis adjusted for age, sex, chronic conditions, disposable income, educational attainment, smoking status, leisure time physical activity, and urban/non-urban residency was conducted. Rare and moderate attendees were 3.23 (95% CI: 1.60–6.52) and 2.92 (95% CI: 1.52–5.62) times, respectively, more likely to die of cancer during the follow-up period than frequent attendees. The effect was observed only among residents of urban areas. The results, if replicated, imply that promoting attendance at cultural events could lead to improved urban population health.

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.