WOMEN'S ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE USE--MULTIETHNIC SURVEY

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DESCRIPTION (Adapted from the Applicant's Abstract): Increasing numbers of Americans are using complementary and alternative therapies (CAM) and the majority of users are women. Yet little is known about the prevalence and patterns of women's CAM use, the perceived efficacy of treatments used, and factors associated with using CAM for women's health concerns. Information is especially sparse regarding minority women who, for cultural or other reasons, may be more likely than others to use CAM. The primary objective of the proposed study is to conduct a nationwide, multilingual survey of approximately 3300 women aged 18-80 equally distributed among Caucasians, African-Americans, Mexican-Americans and Chinese-Americans to determine the prevalence of women's use of complementary medicine for women's health concerns. The specific aims of the survey are: 1) to describe patterns of CAM use for women's health conditions experienced over the life-cycle, including menstrual disorders, menopausal symptoms, symptoms of pregnancy and gynecological disorders; 2) to describe broad categories of CAM used, as well as specific remedies used in each category, both nationally and in each of the four racial/ethnic groups; 3) to determine whether the prevalence and patterns of CAM use differ among women in the four targeted racial/ethnic groups; and 4) to examine the covariates of CAM use in each of the racial/ethnic groups. Such factors ma include age, health status, educational attainment, level of acculturation, and attitudes.