CAM practitioners: Public health partners for promoting healthy lifestyles

Introduction: Lifestyle-related diseases are leading causes of US morbidity and mortality, spurring increased efforts to promote healthy behaviors. With growing complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use in the US, CAM practitioners are an increasingly important part of the health care system. CAM practitioners' training, healing paradigms, and practice patterns may be better suited to healthy lifestyle promotion than conventional practitioners. This presentation reports Arizona data exploring CAM practitioners' potential role in public health. Methods: In a study of tobacco cessation training for CAM practitioners, we conducted key informant interviews with chiropractors, acupuncturists, and massage therapists. Interviews addressed practice patterns, attitudes toward and experiences with tobacco cessation, second hand smoke and other lifestyle behaviors, and the CAM practitioner's role in public health. Results: CAM practitioners were strongly committed to promoting healthy lifestyles, identifying several opportunities and challenges in motivating behavior change. Practitioners' appointments tended to be more frequent and longer than conventional practitioners. They desired more skills and strategies for helping their patients/clients modify unhealthy behaviors, and perceived a public health role for CAM practitioners. Discussion: Although not traditionally seen as partners in the field of public health, the CAM practitioners interviewed were actively engaged in improving patients'/clients' health-related behaviors. Longer and more frequent appointments placed these practitioners in good position to offer behavior change support. Practitioners expressed a desire for behavior change instruction and a willingness to join a tobacco cessation community of practice. The potential for CAM practitioners teaming up with behavior change experts from public health deserves encouragement.