Health need and the use of alternative medicine among adults who do not use conventional medicine

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>We hypothesize that a substantial portion of individuals who forgo conventional care in a given year turn to some form of alternative medicine. This study also examines whether individuals who use only alternative medicine will differ substantially in health and sociodemographic status from individuals using neither alternative medicine nor conventional care in a given year. To identify those factors that predict alternative medicine use in those not using conventional care, we employed the socio-behavioral model of healthcare utilization.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The current study is a cross-sectional regression analysis using data from the 2002 National Health Interview Survey. Data were collected in-person from 31,044 adults throughout the 50 states and the District of Columbia.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>19.3% of adults (38.3 million) did not use conventional care in a 12 month period, although 39.5% of these individuals (14.7 million) reported having one or more problems with their health. Of those not using conventional care, 24.8% (9.5 million) used alternative medicine. Users of alternative medicine had more health needs and were more likely to delay conventional care because of both cost and non-cost factors compared to those not using alternative medicine. While individual predisposing factors (gender, education) were positively associated with alternative medicine use, enabling factors (poverty status, insurance coverage) were not.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>We found that a quarter of individuals who forgo conventional care in a given year turn towards alternative medicine. Our study suggests that the potential determinants of using only alternative medicine are multifactorial. Future research is needed to examine the decision process behind an individual's choice to use alternative medicine but not conventional medicine and the clinical outcomes of this choice.</p

Health behaviors and risk factors in those who use complementary and alternative medicine

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Surveys have generally found that individuals more likely to use complementary and alternative medicine are female, live in the western United States, are likely to have a health complaint, and have a higher socioeconomic status than do nonusers. What is not known is the extent to which those who use complementary and alternative medicine also engage in positive health behaviors, such as smoking cessation or increased physical activity and/or exhibit fewer health risk factors such as obesity. This has been identified as a key research question in a recent Institute of Medicine report. In the present study we sought to determine whether the use of complementary and alternative medicine is associated with health behaviors or risk factors known to impact on health status.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The current study is a cross-sectional regression analysis using data from the 2002 National Health Interview Survey. Data were collected in-person from 31,044 adults throughout the 50 states and the District of Columbia.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>After controlling for a range of other factors, we found that engaging in leisure-time physical activity, having consumed alcohol in one's life but not being a current heavy drinker, and being a former smoker are independently associated with the use of CAM. Obese individuals are slightly less likely to use CAM than individuals with a healthy body-mass index. No significant associations were observed between receipt of an influenza vaccine and CAM use.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Those engaging in positive health behaviors and exhibiting fewer health risk factors are more likely to use CAM than those who forgo positive health behaviors or exhibit more health risk factors. The fact that users of CAM tend to pursue generally healthy lifestyles suggests that they may be open to additional recommendations toward optimizing their health.</p

Loan Request Outcomes In The U.S. Small Business Administration Business Disaster Loan Program

Although the long-term effects of disasters and the factors that affect the ability to recover have received a great deal of attention recently, the recovery literature is limited and uneven in terms of the units of analysis studied and the research findings. Nigg and Tierney (1990) note that the majority of empirical studies on recovery have taken the individual as the unit of analysis. These works have focused on the emotional effects of catastrophic events and the individual's ability to recover from these psychological impacts (Bell, 1978; Huerta and Horton, 1978; Nigg and Mushkatel, 1985).National Science Foundatio

Network Cohesiveness Among Oil Spill Responders In the Delaware Bay: A Multi-Dimensional Scaling Analysis

The growing significance of organizations as actors in modern urban communities is by now a well known fact. As Turk (1970) suggests, modern society can be viewed as an aggregate of organizations which appear, disappear, change, merge, and form networks of relations with each other. This perspective provides a useful tool for understanding how society responds to, and deals with, environmental issues such as marine oil spills. Indeed, mass responses to a broader setting are both formulated and enacted by organizations. Agencies, however, do not always coordinate and communicate to the extent necessary for the successful completion of their responsibilities. Unfortunately, it often takes a catastrophic event to call this issue into question. For example, on March 24, 1989 the Exxon Valdez ran aground on Bligh Reef spilling eleven million gallons of oil into Alaska's Prince William Sound. Because of this event, the nation's concern for oil spills has dramatically increased. One manifestation of this increased awareness was the creation of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 fOPA'90). A component of this legislation includes the augmentation of oil spill contingency planning in the nation. By mandating a more comprehensive state of planning, it is hoped that responders will be more effective in their response to oil spills.Seagrant College Progra

Asking about Sexual Identity on the National Health Interview Survey: Does Mode Matter?

Privacy, achieved through self-administered modes of interviewing, has long been assumed to be a necessary prerequisite for obtaining unbiased responses to sexual identity questions due to their potentially sensitive nature. This study uses data collected as part of a split-ballot field test embedded in the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) to examine the association between survey mode (computer-assisted personal interviewing (CAPI) versus audio computer-assisted self-interviewing (ACASI)) and sexual minority identity reporting. Bivariate and multivariate quantitative analyses tested for differences in sexual minority identity reporting and non-response by survey mode, as well as for moderation of such differences by sociodemographic characteristics and interviewing environment. No significant main effects of interview mode on sexual minority identity reporting or nonresponse were found. Two significant mode effects emerged in subgroup analyses of sexual minority status out of 35 comparisons, and one significant mode effect emerged in subgroup analyses of item nonresponse. We conclude that asking the NHIS sexual identity question using CAPI does not result in estimates that differ systematically and meaningfully from those produced using ACASI

Methodological Challenges for Future Information needs

Using core survey, frame, and contact history data collected with the 2005 NHIS, a multi-purpose health survey conducte