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Aims: The aim of this study was to investigate associations between having visited the theatre/cinema and an arts exhibition during the past year and all-cause, cardiovascular disease (CVD), cancer and other-cause mortality. Methods: The 2008 public health postal survey in Scania, Sweden, was distributed to a stratified random sample of the adult population (18–80 years old). The participation rate was 54.1%, and 25,420 participants were included in the present study. The baseline 2008 survey data were linked to cause-of-death register data to create a prospective cohort with 8.3-year follow-up. Associations between visit to the theatre/cinema, visit to an arts exhibition and mortality were investigated in survival (Cox) regression models. Results: Just over a quarter (26.5%) had visited both the theatre/cinema and an arts exhibition during the past year, 36.6% only the theatre/cinema, 4.9% only an arts exhibition and 32% neither of the two. Not visiting the theatre/cinema during the past year was associated with higher all-cause and CVD mortality. Not visiting an arts exhibition was associated with higher all-cause and other-cause mortality. The combination of having visited neither the theatre/cinema nor an arts exhibition during the past year was associated with higher all-cause, CVD and other-cause mortality. Conclusions: There is an association between attending arts and culture activities and a reduced risk of CVD and other-cause mortality but not cancer mortality, although model imperfections are possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim was to investigate associations between health locus of control (HLC) and all-cause, cardiovascular (CVD), cancer and other cause mortality. A public health postal questionnaire was distributed in the autumn of 2008 to a stratified random sample of the 18-80 year old adult population in Scania in southernmost Sweden. The participation rate was 54.1%, and 25,517 participants were included in the present study. Baseline 2008 survey data was linked to cause of death register data to create a prospective cohort with 8.3-year follow-up. Associations between health locus of control and mortality were investigated in survival (Cox) regression models. Prevalence of internal HLC was 69.0% and external HLC 31.0% among women. Internal HLC was 67.6% and external HLC 32.4% among men. In the models with women and men combined, external HLC had significantly higher all-cause, CVD, cancer and other cause mortality even after adjustments for sociodemographic factors and chronic disease at baseline, but after the introduction of health-related behaviors, external HLC only displayed higher cancer mortality compared to internal HLC. External HLC displayed higher all-cause, cancer and other cause mortality for men in the final model adjusted for health-related behaviors, but not for women. Other pathways than health-related behaviors may exist for the association between external HLC and cancer mortality, particularly among men. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]