 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Roland Lamarine, HSD and Vic Sbarbaro, EdD. Health and Community Services, California State University, Chico, First and Orange Sts., Chico, CA 95929-0505, 5308986265, rlamarine@csuchico.edu
The purpose of this study was to determine attitudes and practices of university students regarding advocacy for and use of alternative medicine. To our knowledge, this is the first study to assess how students perceive alternative medicine, their use of alternative medicine, and their positon on advocacy for alternative medicine. A purposeful sample of over 600 students from five universities across the United States was surveyed in their health classes using a validated written questionnaire. The findings of this survey indicated a high level of acceptance for alternative medicine, significantly lower usage rates, strong support for scientific testing of medical therapies, high confidence and satisfaction with conventional medicine, and for users of alternative medicine, moderate levels of satisfaction. Significant gender differences in attitudes and practice were noted. Conclusions and recommendations regarding the signifcance of these findings will be presented along with suggestions for establishing formal procedures for addressing the myriad questions that arise for health educators stemming from the proliferation of interest in and use of alternative medical therapies.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Alternative Medicine/Therapies, Students
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.