Recorded presentation

Jennifer Lee, MPH¹, Michael S. Goldstein, PhD¹, E. Richard Brown, PhD¹, Rachel Ballard-Barbash, MD, MPH², Anita Ambs, MPH³, and An-Fu Hsiao, MD, PhD¹. (1) Department of Community Health Sciences, Universtiy of California, Los Angeles, School of Public Health, 10833 Le Conte Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90095, 310-794-2212, jlee118@ucla.edu, (2) Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, Applied Research Program, National Cancer Institute, Executive Plaza North MSC 7344, Room 4009A, Bethesda, MD 20892, (3) Applied Research Program, National Cancer Institute, 6130 Executive Blvd., Bethesda, MD 20892

Acculturation of immigrant groups is a major factor that influences health service utilization and is an important and growing area of research. Few studies have looked at the role of acculturation on the utilization of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) among Latinos and Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs). This study looks at acculturation (defined in various ways) as a possible predictor of the use of CAM providers, among Latinos and AAPIs. Data are from the California Health Interview Survey – CAM supplement (CHIS-CAM), which includes a sample of 9,187 adults and is representative of the state in terms of age, race/ethnicity, poverty level, insurance status, etc. CHIS-CAM assessed the utilization of eleven types of CAM providers: Chiropractors, Massage Therapists, Acupuncturists, Practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Osteopaths, Curanderos, Natureopaths, Homeopaths, Native American Healers, Ayurvedic physicians, and Reiki practitioners. We find that the overall use of CAM providers is high among Latinos and AAPIs; however, type of CAM providers used varies by ethnicity and the degree of acculturation. Among AAPIs, use of ethnically based CAM providers, particularly acupuncturists and practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine, declines with increasing acculturation while acculturated AAPIs are more likely to use CAM providers preferred by the dominant population. Acculturation shows a similar pattern among Latinos who use Curanderos. The implications of these findings for understanding how acculturation affects the care seeking behavior of specific immigrant groups in multiethnic settings are discussed.

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