title: Health in arts: are arts settings better than sports settings for promoting anti-smoking messages?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Tobacco smoking is a leading cause of preventable mortality and morbidity. Since 1991, the Western Australian Health Promotion Foundation (Healthway) has sponsored the arts and sport in exchange for cigarette smoke-free events, smoke-free policies and the promotion of anti-smoking messages (e.g. Quit, Smoke Free or Smarter than Smoking). As health promoters often look for innovative and effective settings to advocate health, and as the approach of sponsoring the arts to promote health to the general population is uncommon, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of 'health in arts' by measuring the cognitive impact (message awareness, comprehension, acceptance and intention) of promoting anti-smoking messages at arts events, and comparing findings to sports events, a more traditional health promotion setting.
  
  
  METHODS
  A secondary analysis of the 2004-2009 Healthway Sponsorship Monitor data was conducted. A total of 12 arts events (n = 592 respondents) and 9 sports events (n = 420 respondents) sponsored by Healthway to promote an anti-smoking message were evaluated. The study was cross-sectional in design. Participants were residents of Western Australia aged 15 years or above and attended events as part of an audience or as a spectator. Descriptive and regression analyses were conducted.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After adjustment for demographic variables, smoking status and clustering, arts events were found to be as effective in promoting anti-smoking message awareness, comprehension and acceptance and twice as effective on intention to act (p = .03) compared with sports events.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study provides evidence of the effectiveness of arts sponsorship to promote health to the general population, that is, health in arts. Promoting an anti-smoking message in arts settings was as, or more, effective than in sports settings. Results suggest that the arts should be utilised to communicate and reinforce anti-smoking messages to the general population. The suitability of the arts to promote other types of health messages should be investigated further.
authors.affiliation: Research Assistant Professor and PhD Candidate, School of Population Health and School of Sport Science, Exercise and Health (M431), The University of Western Australia, Australia christina.davies@westnet.com.au.
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Davies
authors.affiliation: Winthrop Professor, School of Population Health (M431), The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia.
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Knuiman
authors.affiliation: Adjunct Senior Research Fellow, School of Population Health (M431), The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia.
authors.forename: Terri
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Pikora
authors.affiliation: Associate Professor and Director, Health Promotion Evaluation Unit, School of Sport Science, Exercise and Health (M408), The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rosenberg
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000517:prevention & control; D001154:Art; D003071:Cognition; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004032:Diet; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012737:Sex Factors; D000074606:Smoking Prevention; D013177:Sports; D014904:Western Australia; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: arts; health message; setting; smoking; sport