Families’ visits to practitioners of complementary and alternative medicine in a total population (the HUNT studies)

Abstract

Aims: To investigate characteristics of families with adolescent children who have visited practitioners of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Methods: The Nord-Trøndelag Health Studies (HUNT) invited all inhabitants aged 13 years and older to a population-based study. The data of parents and adolescents were merged through the Norwegian family register. A family CAM visitor was a family where either the adolescent or the mother or father had visited a CAM practitioner in the previous year. The data were analyzed using multivariable logistic regression. Results: A total of 7,888 adolescents with mother and/or fathers were included. The prevalence of families visiting CAM practitioners was 19.8%. The odds of a family visiting a CAM practitioner was significantly associated (p < 0.01) with a father with poor self-reported global health (adjusted odds ratio (adjOR) 3.0, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.7—5.3), who exercised (adjOR 1.3, 1.1—1.5) or smoked daily (adjOR 0.7, 0.6—0.8). Family CAM visits were also associated with the mother having a recent health complaint (adjOR 1.4, 1.1—1.7) or having fair global health (adjOR 1.6, 1.2—2.0), or with the adolescent, mother or father having visited a general practitioner during the past year (adolescent adjOR 1.3, 1.2—1.5; mother 1.7, 1.5—2.0; father 1.4, 1.2—1.6). For family visits to a homeopath, the strongest association was the mother having visited a general practitioner (adjOR 1.9, 1.4—2.5). For visits to chiropractors the strongest association was whether the father was currently working (adjOR 2.1, 1.2—3.8). Conclusions: The factor most strongly associated with families’ visits to CAM practitioners was a father who had poor self-reported health.

Keywords

Complementary therapies chiropractic health services homeopathy family Norway population

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Barnes PM

Bloom B.

and

Nahin RL

Complementary and alternative medicine use among adults and children: United States, 2007. Natl Health Stat Report2008 ;(12):1-23.

Ernst E.

Prevalence of complementary/alternative medicine for children: a systematic review. Eur J Pediatr1999;158(1):7-11.

Harris P.

and

Rees R.

The prevalence of complementary and alternative medicine use among the general population: a systematic review of the literature. Complement Ther Med2000;8(2):88-96.

Hanssen B.

Grimsgaard S.

Launso L.

Fonnebo V.

Falkenberg T.

and

Rasmussen NK

Use of complementary and alternative medicine in the Scandinavian countries. Scand J Prim Health Care2005;23(1):57-62.

Bishop FL

Yardley L.

and

Lewith GT

A systematic review of beliefs involved in the use of complementary and alternative medicine. J Health Psychol2007;12(6):851-67.

Litman TJ

The family as a basic unit in health and medical care: a social-behavioral overview. Soc Sci Med1974;8(9- 10):495-519.

Cardol M.

Groenewegen PP

de Bakker DH

Spreeuwenberg P.

van Dijk L.

and

van den Bosch W.

Shared help seeking behaviour within families: a retrospective cohort study . BMJ2005;330(7496):882.

van den Bosch W.

Bor H.

van Gerwen W.

All in the family: times are changing. Eur J Gen Pract2008;14(Suppl1):25-7.

Cardol M.

Groenewegen PP

Spreeuwenberg P.

van Dijk L.

van den Bosch WJ

and

de Bakker DH

Why does it run in families? Explaining family similarity in help-seeking behaviour by shared circumstances, socialisation and selection. Soc Sci Med2006;63(4):920-32.

10.

Little P.

Somerville J.

Williamson I.

Warner G.

Moore M.

Wiles R.

, et al. Family influences in a cross-sectional survey of higher child attendance. Br J Gen Pract2001;51(473):977-81,984.

11.

Zwaanswijk M.

Verhaak PF

Bensing JM

Van der EJ

and

Verhulst FC

Help seeking for emotional and behavioural problems in children and adolescents: a review of recent literature. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry2003;12(4):153-61.

12.

Heck KE

and

Parker JD

Family structure, socioeconomic status, and access to health care for children . Health Serv Res2002;37(1):173-86.

13.

Gorman BK

and

Braverman J.

Family structure differences in health care utilization among U.S. children . Soc Sci Med2008;67(11):1766-75.

14.

Gaskin DJ

Kouzis A.

and

Richard P.

Children’s and adolescents’ use of mental health care is a family matter. Med Care Res Rev2008;65(6):748-62.

15.

Westin M.

and

Westerling R.

Health and healthcare utilization among single mothers and single fathers in Sweden. Scand J Public Health2006;34(2):182-9.

16.

Cardol M.

van Dijk L.

van den Bosch WJ

Spreeuwenberg P.

de Bakker DH

and

Groenewegen PP

Striking variations in consultation rates with general practice reveal family influence. BMC Fam Pract2007;8:4.

17.

Fiese BH

and

Wamboldt FS

Tales of pediatric asthma management: family-based strategies related to medical adherence and health care utilization. J Pediatr2003;143(4):457-62.

18.

Beale N.

and

Nethercott S.

Job-loss and family morbidity: a study of a factory closure. J R Coll Gen Pract1985;35(280):510-14.

19.

Kim H.

Kieckhefer GM

Greek AA

Joesch JM

and

Baydar N.

Health care utilization by children with asthma . Prev Chronic Dis2009;6(1):A12.

20.

Holmen J.

Midthjell K.

Krûger

Langhammer A.

Holmen T.

Bratberg G.

, et al. The Nord-Trøndelag Health Study 1995-97 (HUNT2): objectives contents, methods and participation. Norsk Epidemiologi2003;13(1):19-32.

21.

Quandt SA

Verhoef MJ

Arcury TA

Lewith GT

Steinsbekk A.

Kristoffersen AE

, et al. Development of an international questionnaire to measure use of complementary and alternative medicine (I-CAM-Q). J Altern Complement Med2009;15(4):331-9.

22.

Steinsbekk A.

Rise MB

and

Aickin M.

Cross-cultural comparison of visitors to CAM practitioners in the United States and Norway. J Altern Complement Med2009;15(11).

23.

MacLennan AH

Myers SP

and

Taylor AW

The continuing use of complementary and alternative medicine in South Australia: costs and beliefs in 2004. Med J Aust2006;184(1):27-31.

24.

Menniti-Ippolito F.

Gargiulo L.

Bologna E.

Forcella E.

and

Raschetti R.

Use of unconventional medicine in Italy: a nation-wide survey. Eur J Clin Pharmacol2002 ;58(1):61-4.

25.

Steinsbekk A.

Adams J.

Sibbritt D.

Jacobsen G.

and

Johnsen R.

Socio-demographic characteristics and health perceptions among male and female visitors to CAM practitioners in a total population study. Forsch Komplementmed2008 ;15(3):146-51.

26.

Druss BG

and

Rosenheck RA

Association between use of unconventional therapies and conventional medical services. JAMA1999;282(7):651-6.

27.

Steinsbekk A.

Adams J.

Sibbritt D.

Jacobsen G.

and

Johnsen R.

The profiles of adults who consult alternative health practitioners and/or general practitioners. Scand J Prim Health Care2007;25(2):86-92.