Are variations in rates of attending cultural activities associated with population health in the United States?

Anna V Wilkinson,Andrew J Waters,Lars Olov Bygren,Alvin R Tarlov

doi:10.1186/1471-2458-7-226

Abstract

BackgroundPopulation studies conducted in Sweden have revealed an association between attendance at cultural activities and health. Using data from US residents, we examined whether the association could be observed in the US.MethodsParticipants in the current study included 1,244 individuals who participated in the 1998 General Social Survey.ResultsA significant association between cultural activities and self-reported health (SRH) was observed, even after controlling for age, gender, marital status, race, number of children, subjective social class, employment status, household income, and educational attainment. Specifically, the more cultural activities people reported attending, the better was their SRH.ConclusionThe data confirm that an association between cultural activity and health is present in a US sample. The data do not mean that the association is causal, but they suggest that further longitudinal research is warranted.

Highlights

Population studies conducted in Sweden have revealed an association between attendance at cultural activities and health
Given that 1) there are striking differences in social structure and health outcomes between Sweden and the United States [11,12]; 2) there are few characteristics that are as strongly associated with SES as attendance at cultural activities [13]; and 3) the well documented relationship between health and socio-economic status (SES) is not fully explained by differences in access to health care [14], work conditions [15], social ties [16], and health behaviors [17], we examined whether the association between cultural activity and self-reported health could be observed in the US population
Univariable logistic regression models revealed that age (Odds Ratio (OR): 0.97, 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 0.96 – 0.98, p < 0.01), marital status (p < 0.01), subjective social class (p < 0.01), employment status (p < 0.01), income level (OR: 1.12, CI: 1.09 – 1.14, p < 0.01), years of education (OR: 1.22, CI: 1.16 – 1.29, P < 0.01), and Cultural Activity (OR: 1.41, CI: 1.28 – 1.55, p < 0.01) all significantly predicted self-rated health (SRH)

Summary

Introduction

Population studies conducted in Sweden have revealed an association between attendance at cultural activities and health. Research conducted in Sweden has explored the relationship between attending cultural activities and both mortality and self-rated health (SRH). Based on the same cohort, but after a 14-year time lapse, the researchers found a higher mortality risk for people who rarely went to the cinema, concerts, museums or art exhibitions compared with those who went frequently [2]. Both analyses controlled for gender, age, education, disposable income, social contacts, presence of a long-term disease, smoking and exercise patterns. In a third analysis the researchers [3] constructed a cultural attendance indicator that reflected attendance and frequency of attendance at cinemas, thea-

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion