Engagement in cultural activities and cause-specific mortality: prospective cohort study.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the relation between engagement in cultural activities and main causes of mortality among full-time employees.


METHODS
Finnish industrial employees (N=7922) completed a questionnaire about engagement in cultural activities (arts and culture, activities in associations, societal action, reading literature, and studying) in 1986 and were followed-up for mortality rates until 1986-2004.


RESULTS
High engagement in cultural activities was independently associated with decreased all-cause mortality (hazard ratio 0.71, 95% CI 0.57-0.88) and external causes of death (hazard ratio 0.46, 95% CI 0.24-0.90) after adjustment for socio-demographic factors, socio-economic status, work stress, social characteristics, diabetes, and hypertension. High engagement was also associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular mortality after controlling for socio-demographic factors and stress (hazard ratio 0.68, 95% CI 0.49-0.95). The associations with all-cause mortality and deaths from external causes remained after further adjustment for behavioral risk factors. Of the forms of engagement, solitary cultural activities were related to all-cause mortality while socially shared cultural activities were more closely linked to external mortality.


CONCLUSIONS
Better overall survival of culturally engaged employees is largely attributable to their lower risk of death from external causes.
Väänänen
Ari
A
Centre of Expertise for Work Organisations, Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Topeliuksenkatu 41 a A, FI-00250 Helsinki, Finland. Ari.Vaananen@ttl.fi
Murray
Michael
M
Koskinen
Aki
A
Vahtera
Jussi
J
Kouvonen
Anne
A
Kivimäki
Mika
M
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000208:ethnology / Q000401:mortality*; D002423:Cause of Death; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland; D006304:Health Status; D006802:Human Activities; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D012919:Social Behavior; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires