Diversity of the chiropractic profession in Canada: a cross-sectional survey of Canadian Chiropractic Association members

Abstract

Background Little is known about the diversity of the chiropractic profession with respect to gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity and community of practice. This knowledge is important as profession representation of key equity seeking groups may impact quality of care and access for vulnerable communities. The aim of this cross-sectional survey was to explore the diversity of the chiropractic profession in Canada. Methods All registered members of the Canadian Chiropractic Association (N = 7721) were invited to participate in a web-based survey between May and June 2021. Survey questions explored diversity with respect to personal demographics (age, sex, gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, language) and practice characteristics (community setting, practice type). Where possible, survey data was compared to data from the 2016 Census of the Canadian population. Results We received a total of 3143 survey responses (response rate—41%). The average age of our sample was 44.7 years (standard deviation 12.7). Forty-five percent were female with the same proportion (45.2%) self-identifying as women. Ninety-one percent of the sample self-identified as heterosexual. With respect to race, 80% of respondents were Caucasian. Seventy percent of chiropractors in our sample identified with Canadian ancestry and 29% with European ancestry. In comparison to the Canadian population, some visible minorities were underrepresented. The greatest discrepancy between the Canadian population and our sample was in the proportion of Black and Indigenous chiropractors. With respect to ethnicity, chiropractors identifying themselves with Canadian ancestry were overrepresented in our sample compared to others, specifically those with North American Indigenous and South, Central and Latin American ancestry. Sixty-one percent of chiropractors practiced in major cities and most work in interdisciplinary clinics (42% Complementary and Alternative Medicine and 33% rehabilitation). Conclusions This study provides an initial description of diversity within the chiropractic profession in Canada. Women represent less than 50% of the profession nationally. Overall, there is little racial and ethnic diversity in the chiropractic profession compared to the Canadian population, with Black and Indigenous peoples being underrepresented. Future work should focus strategies to foster the development of a more diverse chiropractic workforce.

Assessing cultural competency among Canadian chiropractors: a cross-sectional survey of Canadian Chiropractic Association members

“…Baseline characteristics of the study sample are summarized in Table 1 . A more detailed account of demographic factors has been described in a separate manuscript [ 15 ].

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“…and practice-related information (e.g., years in clinical practice, practice setting, etc.). The results of cultural diversity experience are reported separately [ 15 ].…”

“…We developed a survey to assess the 4 constructs of cultural competency in Canadian chiropractors. Results pertaining to cultural diversity experience are reported elsewhere [ 15 ]. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to (1) describe the remaining pillars of the cultural competency framework (i.e., cultural awareness and sensitivity, cultural competence behaviours) among Canadian chiropractors, (2) understand chiropractors’ perspectives of the challenges and attitudes regarding the delivery of chiropractic services to equity-seeking communities, and (3) assess the contextual factors potentially associated with cultural competency.…”

A descriptive evaluation of a job analysis survey in the chiropractic profession in Switzerland – an update after more than 10 years

“…The chiropractic profession in Switzerland is slowly growing with a total population of 287 fully licensed members in 2020 (vs. 260 in 2009). The percentage of female chiropractors increased from 29 to 38%, but the profession is still male dominated, as in some other countries (Norway [ 17 ], Australia [ 12 ]), while others have more equal gender distributions (Canada [ 28 ], South Africa [ 16 ]) or is female dominated (Denmark [ 18 ]). The proportion of chiropractors with > 25 or 16–25 years of practice experience have each increased to 32% (vs. 18% and 26% in 2009).…”

Client and clinician perspectives about a virtual education and exercise chronic disease management programme for people with hip and knee osteoarthritis

“…There are other generalisability and diversity concerns as the study was only able to recruit white individuals, primarily females, and primarily physiotherapist clinicians. However, OA typically affects females more than males (Cui et al., 2020; Vina & Kwoh, 2018) and there are more licenced physiotherapists (>28,000 licenced in Canada in 2022, 70% female (Canadian Institute for Health Information, 2023)) than chiropractors (>9000 licenced in Canada in 2023, 45% female (Canadian Chiropractic Association, 2024; Southerst et al., 2022)). Clients and clinicians also rated themselves as comfortable and familiar with technology, and as such, these perspectives may not translate to individuals who are less technologically savvy.…”