Cultural participation and self-reported health: a longitudinal population-based study from Sweden

OBJECTIVE: Culture is an essential part of human life. This study aimed to examine the association between cultural participation and self-reported health. METHODS: A longitudinal cohort study of a random sample (3311 participants) of the Swedish population aged 20-67 years at baseline was performed. Data were collected for all participants on three occasions (1982/83, 1990/91, and 1998/99) including cultural participation (visiting cinema, theatre, concert, art museum, other museums, and sermon), covariates (age, sex, region of residency, cohabitation status, level of education, physical activity, and smoking status), and outcome (self-reported health). To analyze the association between cultural participation level and impaired self-reported health with time-varying covariates, Generalized Estimating Equations were used to estimate odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals. A sub-analysis on data from the first two occasions and two sensitivity analyses were conducted. RESULTS: The results suggested a graded association between cultural participation and self-reported health, i.e. the lower the exposure to cultural activities the poorer the self-reported health. In the full model, participants with low cultural participation level had higher odds (odds ratio: 1.91; 95% confidence intervals: 1.62-2.26) of impaired self-reported health than participants reporting high cultural participation level, adjusting for potential confounders. The sub- and sensitivity analyses yielded similar findings. CONCLUSION: The findings of this longitudinal study suggest that cultural participation may play an important role in promoting good health and wellbeing. This knowledge could be particularly valuable for policymakers and primary healthcare providers seeking to promote greater access to and participation in cultural activities within society.