Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine and Self-Rated Health Status: Results from a National Survey

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Despite the absence of conclusive evidence of effectiveness, complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is used by 4 of 10 adults in the US; little is known about the association between CAM use and health status. OBJECTIVE: To determine the relation between CAM use and self-reported health status and health improvement over time. DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS:We performed a secondary database analysis using data from the 2007 National Health Interview Survey of non-institutionalized US residents conducted by the National Center of Health Statistics of the Center for Disease Control. We identified CAM users and compared them to non-users. We used multivariable logistic regression to model the health status of respondents. We controlled for confounders including socio-demographic, clinical, and behavioral factors. The models were evaluated for discrimination and calibration. MAIN MEASURES: The likelihood of respondents to report 'Excellent' current health and 'Better' health than in the prior year. KEY RESULTS: Based on 23,393 respondents, we found 37% of U.S. adults used complementary and alternative medicine and 63% did not use any CAM. Compared to those who did not use CAM, CAM users were more likely to rate their health as 'Excellent' (adjusted-odds ratio (AOR) = 1.14, 95% CI = [1.03,1.26]). Similarly, CAM users were more likely to report their health as 'Better' than in the prior year (AOR = 1.64, 95% CI = [1.49,1.83]). The c-statistics for the two models were 0.755 and 0.616, respectively. CONCLUSION: We found a significant association between CAM use and self-rated excellent health and health improvement over the prior year. Prospective trials are required to determine whether CAM use is causally related to excellent health status and better health than in the prior year.

Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine in a Large Sample of Anxiety Patients

“…9,31 Slightly more females than males used CAM but the difference was not statistically significant in our study, though similar statistically-significant results have been shown in other studies. 9,31,32 National surveys indicate CAM use is greater in younger than older ages, 32 but several studies have shown the use to be quite prevalent in older adults as well. 10,33-35 …”

“…Combined with increased awareness, changing health practices, fear of addiction to conventional medications, and possible dissatisfaction with conventional care, 5-7 the prevalence of CAM has been increasing for decades both worldwide 8 and in the United States, specifically, 9 with a substantial 8.3% increase in usage from 1990 to 1997, 10 and only a modest drop between 2002 and 2007. 11 The drop could have been a result of the St. John’s Wort studies that emerged during that time period and several reports of toxicity of certain agents, all inciting some element of fear.…”

Complementary and alternative medicine: attitudes, knowledge and use among surgeons and anaesthesiologists in Hungary

“…In the USA, the use of CAM rose from 33.8 to 42.1 % from 1990 to 1997 among the total population [1], while in the 2000s this ratio was 34–37 % [2, 3]. A recent systematic review of surveys in the UK indicated, 51.8 % of the population applied alternative remedies at least once during their lifetime [4].…”

Nem konvencionális gyógymódok használata sebészeti betegek között

“…Az elmúlt évtizedekben világszerte számos felmérés azt mutatta, hogy nagy az érdeklődés a nem konvencionális módsze-rek iránt [1]. Az Egyesült Államokban 1990-1997 kö-zött 33,8%-ról 42,1%-ra nőtt a komplementer és alternatív gyógymódok (CAM) alkalmazása a teljes népesség körében [2], míg az ezredforduló utáni évtizedben a felnőtt lakosság 34-37%-a vett igénybe ilyen gyógymó-dokat [3,4]. Európában a statisztikák alapján az 1990-es években a lakosság 20-50%-a vett igénybe természet-gyógyászati kezelést [5].…”