Arts and culture engagement for health: a Danish population-based follow-up study

Using a longitudinal approach, the aim of this study was to examine whether baseline engagement in arts and culture was associated with a decline from 'Good' to 'Poor' health at follow-up.

Self-rated health (SRH) and engagement in six cultural activities among randomly selected Danish adults (⩾15 years) were assessed using data from the Danish Health and Wellbeing Survey in 2019. One year later, all individuals were invited to complete a follow-up survey questionnaire. SRH was dichotomised into 'Good' (very good/good) and 'Poor' (fair/bad/very bad). The cultural participation index (CPI) was used to measure engagement in arts and culture activities. Each activity was scored from 0 (never) to 4 (at least once a week). The total score across all activities could reach a maximum of 24. Adjusted logistic regression models assessed associations between cultural participation and poor health at 1-year follow-up.

The present study included 3286 individuals who perceived their health as good at baseline who completed both survey waves; 11.2% reported poor health at follow-up. Individuals who attended concerts and musical events at least once every 3 months were less likely to report poor health at follow-up (adjusted odds ratio (OR): 0.50, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.35-0.71) than individuals who never attend concerts and musical events. Furthermore, a 1-point-higher CPI score was associated with a 0.96 (95% CI: 0.93-0.99) lower (adjusted) OR of reporting poor health at follow-up.Conclusions:This follow-up study extends our understanding of the positive health outcomes from engagement in arts and culture activities.