P04.31
Purpose: Women of childbearing age are the primary users of CAM. However, little is known about the extent to which CAM is used by women during pregnancy and childbirth. The objective of this study was to document the prevalence of CAM use, types of CAM used, and reasons for CAM use among women of childbearing age.
Methods: We used 2007 National Health Interview Survey data for women ages 18 to 44, (n=5,764 unweighted) to examine CAM use by pregnancy status (current, recent, neither currently/recently pregnant). Outcomes were any past year CAM use, reasons for using CAM, and health conditions treated with CAM. Descriptive analyses included cross-tabulations with design-based F-tests. Multiple logistic regression was used to estimate the odds of CAM use by pregnancy status adjusted for demographic, social, and economic factors.
Results: Overall, 67% of women of childbearing age reported using CAM in the past year. This differed by pregnancy status with currently or recently pregnant women having significantly higher prevalence of CAM use than others (78.2% vs. 65.8%; P<0.001). Back pain (17.1%), neck pain (7.7%), and anxiety (3.7%) were the most common specific conditions treated with CAM among women of childbearing age. However, nearly 12% of currently pregnant women and 28% of recently pregnant women reported using CAM for pregnancy-related reasons (P<0.001). In adjusted analyses, currently and recently pregnant women had 2.7 times higher odds of past year CAM use compared with other women of childbearing age (95% CI 2.1–3.4; P<0.001).
Conclusion: CAM use during the childbearing year is prevalent, with over three-quarters of currently/recently pregnant women reporting some CAM use. Of women who reported CAM use during the year in which they were pregnant, 20% reported using CAM specifically for pregnancy-related reasons, making this the most common reason for CAM use among pregnant and postpartum women.
Contact: Pamela Jo Johnson, johns245@umn.edu
