 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Maria T. Chao, MPA1, Christine Wade2, Fredi Kronenberg2, Debra Kalmuss, PhD3, Linda F. Cushman, PhD4, and Whitney Dessio2. (1) Department of Sociomedical Sciences, Columbia University, 722 West 168th Street, New York, NY 10032, (2) Center for CAM Research in Aging and Women's Health, Columbia University, 601 W 168 ST Suite 35, New York, NY 10032, 212-342-0105, wade@columbia.edu, (3) Department of Population and Family Health, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, 60 Haven Avenue, B-2, New York, NY 10032, (4) Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, Center for Population and Family Health, 60 Haven Avenue, B2, New York, NY 10032
Higher socioeconomic status (SES) is often associated in national surveys with using complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Whether the relationship between SES and CAM use differs by race/ethnic groups has not been examined. Using data from a national telephone survey of 3,172 women, we assessed the effects of education and income on women's use of CAM in four race/ethnic populations, controlling for age and geographic region. CAM use was defined as using any of eleven domains in the year before the survey. The adjusted effects of SES on CAM use were similar among Mexican-American and Non-Hispanic white women-education had a distinct gradient effect, with each increasing level of education significantly more likely to use CAM. In both of these groups, those with household income of $60,000 or more were significantly more likely to use CAM than those with income less than $20,000. For Chinese-American women, level of education did not affect CAM use and middle-income levels were actually associated with a lower likelihood of CAM use compared to less income, controlling for age and geographic region (AOR=0.48, 95% CI=0.26, 0.92). Although income was not associated with CAM use among African-American women, college graduates were 2.60 times (95% CI=1.62, 4.18) more likely to use CAM than African-American women with less than a high school education in this sub-sample. The effects of SES on CAM use are not uniform across race/ethnic populations. Other factors, such as culture and social networks, may interact with SES to influence CAM use in minority populations.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Alternative Medicine/Therapies, Ethnicity
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
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.