Music and public health – An empirical study of the use of music in the daily life of adult Danes and the health implications of musical participation

Background: Music and public health is a fairly new field of study. Scientific studies document that participation in cultural activities (in general) can have a positive influence on health, however, music as a specific cultural activity has only been explored empirically in studies with small samples, mainly focusing on health benefits of participating in choral singing. Methods: This study originates from and was part of the Danish Health and Morbidity Surveys (2013) with a representative sample of adult Danes as participants (n = 25,000). The survey included specific music questions, based on a review of the literature. Results: Musical behavior and beliefs are presented as descriptive statistics. Multiple logistic regression models are used to examine associations between various background variables and: (1) playing musical instruments/singing daily, (2) definitely believing that music activities and music experiences can help stay healthy. Conclusion: Musical behaviors and beliefs in the adult Danish population are identified, and the public health potential of musicking (singing, playing and listening to music) are discussed.