Racial Differences in CAM for Common Medical Conditions

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is increasingly used by Americans, but little is known about CAM use in racial and ethnic minorities and economically disadvantaged individuals. Racial and ethnic disparities in health care are well established and are related to poor health outcomes. Moreover, the prevalence of many common medical problems such as cardiovascular disease, stroke, and lower extremity mobility problems is higher among African Americans than non-Hispanic white Americans. Similarly, African Americans and Hispanics have a higher prevalence of diabetes, obesity, and worse health status than their white counterparts. Previous research suggests that CAM is commonly used by non-Hispanic white Americans for the treatment of common medical conditions and that they are often used in combination with conventional medical care. Relatively little is known about patterns of CAM use for treatment of common medical conditions in racial and ethnic minorities. We propose to use data from the 2002 National Health Interview Survey to: 1) estimate the prevalence of use of individual CAM therapies and overall CAM use across racial/ethnic and economically disadvantaged groups; 2) identify racial and ethnic variations in CAM use for common medical conditions; 3) examine the extent to which CAM complements or substitutes for conventional medical care in racial/ethnic minorities and economically disadvantaged individuals; 4) examine the extent to which racial/ethnic minorities and economically disadvantaged persons use CAM for specific medical conditions and relative to use for overall health and well-being; and 5) examine utilization of CAM therapies as supervised or unsupervised (i.e., without any visits to a CAM practitioner) by race/ethnicity and economic status, and 6) examine the extent to which use of CAM therapies is disclosed to medical professionals. This study will provide important insight into national rates of CAM use by racial and ethnic minorities and economically disadvantaged individuals; the reasons for CAM use, such as treatment of common medical conditions and promotion of overall health and well-being, and the relationship between CAM and conventional medical care. The proposed study is an essential first step to better understand current practices of CAM in the US. Findings will provide a fundamental understanding of CAM in minority populations that will be used to plan for future studies.