Background: Women use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) for treatment and prevention of cancer at a rate of 50% vs. men who use it as a rate of 31% (Risberg, et, al 1998). However, those statistics appear to be reflective of the patterns of Caucasian middle-aged middle class women. Although African American women are 1.24 times likely to die of breast cancer than their Caucasian counterparts. Very little research has been conducted focusing on African American women’s perceptions and patterns regarding CAM and cancer. Method: A pilot study was conducted among African American college educated women to find out how they defined CAM and how they viewed it in relation to cancer. Two focus group sessions were conducted among healthy African American women with household incomes that ranged from $10,000 - $200,000. Conclusion: College educated African American women had a very different perceptive of CAM. They did not view their individual practices as complementary and or alternative. “Complementary” was perceived as “free”. Home remedies which is classified as traditional and folk remedies was not perceived as CAM but it was viewed as “Something we do and always did,” which related more to cultural practices than income. These healthy women are currently practicing cancer prevention by using various forms of CAM.
Learning Objectives: Learning Objectives: • Participants will learn how African American women define CAM. • Participants will be able to recognize the differences in the intellectual construct of CAM as compared with the experience and perceptions of college educated African American women.
Keywords: Women's Health, Alternative Medicine/Therapies
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.