Women's Use of Alternative Medicine: A Multiethnic Study

描述(由申请者提供)：国家调查估计补充和替代医学(CAM)的广泛和日益广泛的使用，它包括多种治疗系统、治疗和技术。社会经济地位(SES)较高的指标，如教育和收入水平较高，通常与更多使用CAM有关。这些因素是否一致地预测了不同类型的CAM或在少数群体中的使用还没有得到系统的探索。影响SES-CAM关系的可能机制，如健康状况或文化适应，也值得进一步探讨。这项拟议的研究将探索在白人、非洲裔墨西哥人和华裔美国女性中SES和CAM的使用之间的关系。首先，我们将考察CAM在不同领域中使用的总体种族-种族模式。然后，在四个种族-族裔妇女人口中，拟议的研究将： 1.评估SES和CAM使用之间的关联，比较总体CAM使用和特定CAM域的使用， 2.检验健康状况和获得生物医疗在社会经济地位与CAM使用关系中的中介作用。 3.分析社会网络在SES-CAM关系中的差异化影响，以及 4.评估文化适应在SES和CAM使用之间的关系中的调节作用(仅限于墨西哥和华裔美国女性)。 要研究的具体CAM领域包括物理疗法、心身疗法、维生素/营养补充剂、草药和药茶，以及文化疗愈。还将考察CAM的总体使用情况。假说将使用由国家儿童健康和人类发展研究所以及国家补充和替代医学中心资助的一项全国性研究的数据进行验证，该研究调查了四个种族群体中女性使用CAM的情况。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): National surveys have estimated widespread and increasing use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), which encompasses a multiplicity of healing systems, treatments, and techniques. Indicators of higher socioeconomic status (SES), such as greater levels of education and income, are factors commonly associated with greater CAM use. Whether these factors consistently predict use across different types of CAM or within minority populations has not been systematically explored. Possible mechanisms influencing the SES-CAM relationship, such as health status or acculturation, also warrant further exploration. The proposed study will explore the relationship between SES and the use of CAM among white, African- Mexican-, and Chinese-American women. First, the overall race-ethnic patterns of CAM use across different domains of CAM will be examined. Then, within each of the four racial-ethnic populations of women, the proposed study will: 1. Assess the association between SES and CAM use, comparing overall CAM usage and use of specific CAM domains, 2. Test the mediating effects of health status and access to biomedicine in the relationship between SES and CAM use, 3. Analyze the differential influence of social networks in the SES-CAM relationship, and 4. Evaluate the moderating effects of acculturation in the relationship between SES and CAM use (among Mexican- and Chinese-American women only). Specific CAM domains to be studied include physical therapies, mind-body therapies, vitamins/nutritional supplements, herbs and medicinal teas, and cultural healing. Overall use of CAM will also be examined. Hypotheses will be tested using data from a national study examining women's use of CAM in four racial-ethnic populations, which is funded through the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.