- Title
- Socio-demographic characteristics and health perceptions among male and female visitors to CAM practitioners in a total population study
- Creator
- Steinsbekk, Aslak; Adams, Jon; Sibbritt, David; Jacobsen, Geir; Johnsen, Roar
- Relation
- Forschende Komplementarmedizin Vol. 15, Issue 3, p. 146-151
- Publisher Link
- http://dx.doi.org/10.1159/000134904
- Publisher
- Karger
- Resource Type
- journal article
- Date
- 2008
- Description
- Background: The aim was to explore the prevalence of visitors to CAM practitioners in a total population with reference to sex, self-rated health status and socio-demographic characteristics. Methods: The paper reports findings from the Nord-Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT 2), a total population-based health survey of 42,277 respondents conducted in central Norway who answered questions on visits to a CAM practitioner. Variables included were age, marital status, education, receiving social welfare benefits, lifestyle (daily smoker), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS-TI, self-rated health status, and having a limiting chronic complaint. Results: Some 12.8% (95% CI 12.5-13.1) of the population had visited a CAM practitioner in the last 12 months, with females visiting almost twice as often as males. Multivariate analysis showed that consulting a CAM practitioner was significantly associated in both sexes with being middle-aged (male age 40-49 OR 1.6 (1.2-2.0), female age 30-39 OR 1.4 (1.1-1.6)); poor self-rated health status (male OR 5.1 (3.1-8.51, female 3.9 (2.2-6.8 1); and reporting a chronic complaint (male OR 1.5 (1.3-1.81, female OR 1.4 (1.2-1.6)). Daily smoking of cigarettes was associated with a decreased likelihood for visiting a CAM practitioner (male OR 0.7 (0.6-0.9), female OR 0.8 (0.7-0.9)). In females, both a higher total HADS-T score (score >20 OR 1.5 (1.2-2.0)) and middle-level education (OR 1.2 (1.1-1.4)) were associated with visiting a CAM practitioner. Conclusions: Visitors to CAM practitioners had lower self-reported health than non-users, but socio-demographic variables did not discriminate between users and non-users.
- Subject
- complementary therapies; Norway; homeopathy; chiropractic; population
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/41624
- Identifier
- uon:4897
- Identifier
- ISSN:1021-7096
- Language
- eng
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