P02.87
Purpose: Sociodemographic factors have been associated with the use of CAM among cancer patients, yet little is known about how these factors impact attitudes and beliefs towards CAM use.
Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey study at an urban, academic cancer center among adult patients with a primary diagnosis of cancer. Sociodemographic variables were collected by self-report and attitudes and beliefs were measured using the validated Attitudes and Beliefs about CAM (ABCAM) instrument. ABCAM is based on the Theory of Planned Behavior and measures three major components of CAM use: expected benefits, perceived barriers, and subjective norms.
Results: Among the 969 participants (response rate 82.7%), the mean age was 59.1 (SD 12.1) and 63% were female. Seventy-nine percent identified themselves as White, 16% as Black, 3% as Asian, and 2% as other. A majority (74.4%) reported an education level of some college or above. Cancer diagnoses included: breast (315), gastrointestinal (308), lung (297), and other cancer types (48). Younger patients (≤55 years) had greater expected benefits (p<0.001) and subjective norms (p<0.001) than older patients (>65 years), but their perceived barriers to CAM use did not differ. Compared to male patients, females had higher expected benefits (p<0.001) and less perceived barriers (p=0.009). Non-whites and white patients only differed in perceived barriers: non-whites reported more perceived barriers than their white counterparts (p<0.001). Furthermore, patients with higher education had greater expected benefits (p<0.001) and less perceived barriers (p<0.001).
Conclusion: Sociodemographic factors have a substantial impact on the attitudes and beliefs about CAM use among cancer patients. Understanding and addressing these variations have important implications in designing patient-centered integrative cancer care for a diverse group of cancer patients.
Contact: Sagar Chokshi, chokshsa@rowan.edu
