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Abstract #146396

Steven E. Shive, PHD, MPH¹, Grace X. Ma, PhD², Yin Tan, MD³, Jamil I. Toubbeh, PhD³, Lalitha Parameswaran³, and Joseph Halowich, MS, CHES⁴. (1) Health Department, East Stroudsburg University, 200 Prospect St., East Stroudsburg, PA 18301, 570-422-3330, sshive@po-box.esu.edu, (2) Public Health Center for Asian Health, Temple University, P.O. Box 2843, Philadelphia, PA 19122, (3) Public Health, Temple University Center for Asian Health, P.O. Box 2843, Philadelphia, PA 19122, (4) Health, Parkside High School, 1015 Beaglin Park Drive, Salisbury, MD 21804

This study examined racial/ethnic differences in primary and secondary preventive health behaviors and use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). A questionnaire was administered to 6305 White, African-American, Hispanic and Asian households. A random-digit dialing method was employed utilizing a stratified minority sample design. The questionnaire was translated into Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese, and Korean. There were significant differences in physician visitations, in health care location types, attitudes toward self-care, fatalism, health decisions left to a physician, health problems impairing daily activity, health problem types, preventive health behaviors, and use of CAM. Overall, 31.6% used CAM. Hispanics used CAM because they were cheaper, and Asians because of cultural beliefs. Fatalism was inversely associated with CAM use. Increased understanding of specific differences between ethnic/racial groups in preventive health care behaviors and CAM use, may lead to tailoring of culturally and linguistically efficacious health promotion interventions.

Learning Objectives:

• The participants will be able to describe differences between ethnic and racial groups in primary and secondary preventive health behaviors
• The participants will be able to understand differences in ethnic/racial groups in the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM)

Keywords: Disease Prevention, Ethnic Minorities

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No
Any institutionally-contracted trials related to this submission?

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.