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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

John P. Borneman, PhD Candidate, Health Policy Program, University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, c/o 722 Harriton Road, Bryn Mawr, PA 19010, 6105200580, jborneman@hylands.com, Abigail Cohen, PhD, Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Pennsylvania, 734 Blockley Hall 423 Guardian Drive, Philadelphia, PA 19104, and Nancy Gordon, ScD, Kaiser Permanente Division of Research, 2000 Boradway, Oakland, CA 94612.

Objectives: This study is to reports on the sociodemographic and psychosocial/health behavior predictors in a California MCO and compares CAM utilization in the population with patients reporting a diagnosis of cancer. Methods: A post-hoc logistic regression and cross-tabular analysis of responses to the population weighted 1999 and 2002 Kaiser Permanente Member Health Survey (n=34,590)was used to evaluate sociodemographic (gender, age, race, education level, marital status) and psychosocial and health practices predictors (smoking status, emotional belief, health rating health satisfaction and advice satisfaction) in the sample and in a sub-population with cancer. Adjusted Odds Ratios for predictor variables were calculated by gender for the use of “any CAM” in the previous year. Cross-tabulations explored statistically significant predictors as well as use of particular CAM modalities in the cancer group. Results: CAM use in the previous year in males and females in the sample is associated with: being white, college educated, former-smoker, high emotional belief, poor health rating, and less satisfaction with health advice, In the cancer group, men (n=652) with college education were 1.56 times more likely to use CAM and those with high emotional belief were twice as likely. Findings were similar in women with cancer (n=494). Of the nine specific CAM modalities analyzed, the independent variable most commonly associated with each modality was emotional belief and education. In cancer patients, health rating and satisfaction were not generally found to be associated with particular modality use. The most significant finding was the strong association of CAM use with emotional belief.

Learning Objectives:

• List the domains of CAM under the current NIH-NCCAM rubric.
• Identify the primary sociodemographic (SD) and psychosocial/health behaviors (PS) predictors that are associated with the use of CAM (generally) in patient populations and populations with cancer. ?
• Describe the relationship between SD and PS predictors and the use of specific CAM modalities (e.g. acupuncture, herbs, homeopathy).

Keywords: Health Behavior, Cancer

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered

Handout (.pdf format, 392.1 kb)