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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Adam Burke, PhD, MPH, LAc¹, Dawn M. Upchurch, PhD², Claire Dye, MSPH², Laura Chyu, MA², and Ellen Levine, PhD, MPH³. (1) Health Education, San Francisco State University, SFSU, 1600 Holloway Ave, San Francisco, CA 94132, 415-338-1774, aburke@sfsu.edu, (2) School of Public Health Department of Community Health Sciences, University of California Los Angeles, 650 Charles E. Young Drive South, Box 951772, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1772, (3) Public Research Institute, SFSU, 1600 Holloway Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94132

One of the most commonly cited mind-body complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) methods mentioned in national surveys is meditation. Meditation has a long history of use for promotion of well-being and is now being used increasingly as part of patient care, including use in public health settings. Despite its notable role there is little sociodemographic information available to describe the characteristics of individuals who use meditation. This paper provides information from a representative national sample of the US adult population using data from the 2002 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). Of the 36,161 participants interviewed 10.2% had employed meditation at some time (representing approximately 20 million US adults), and 7.6% had practiced meditation in the previous 12 months. Meditation was one of the most commonly used of all 27 CAM therapies assessed. Of the 11 mind-body methods assessed meditation was the third most common, only surpassed by ‘Prayer for Health Reasons' and ‘Deep Breathing Exercises.' A weighted regression analysis of key sociodemographic factors found that meditation was significantly associated with being a White, Hispanic or Asian male (compared to White female), being middle-aged, having higher educational attainment, poorer health status, and not living in the South. The correlates of use of meditation were contrasted with those of prayer; prayer was more commonly used by Blacks and Hispanics, individuals with lower educational attainment, and those in the South. This data provides insight into meditation use in the US with implications relevant to public health research and policy.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe the national profile of meditation use.
• List several major reasons for use.
• Describe common perceptions of meditation efficacy and importance to consumers.
• Describe implications for public health policy and research.

Keywords: Alternative Medicine/Therapies, Health Promotion

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No