Original Article The use of complementary and alternative health care practices among children*,**
Section snippets
Definition of terms
Complementary implies care that occurs along with traditional health care, whereas alternative suggests therapies that are used instead of traditional therapies (National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2000). For consistency, the terms “complementary and alternative medicine” are used in this article. This is the terminology adopted by the National Institutes of Health, as evidenced by the titling of the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM). CAM
Background
It has been recommended that inquiries about nontraditional healing practices for both health promotion and health problems be part of every patient history (Armishaw & Grant, 1999; Eisenberg, 1997). This recommendation is based on the findings of numerous studies that have documented the use of CAM by adults (Brown & Marcy, 1991; Eisenberg et al., 1998; Eisenberg et al., 1993; Elder, Gillcrist, & Minz, 1997). A follow-up telephone survey revealed that the use of CAM by adults increased from
Research method & design
For this descriptive study, parents were approached in the waiting rooms of three private pediatric offices located in the metropolitan area of a midwestern city. Parents were recruited for the study if their child was between 1 to 18 years of age. The research was approved by the university's Institutional Review Board and informed consent was obtained from the parents.
Parents were offered a small recruitment incentive consisting of a $5 gift certificate upon completion of the questionnaire.
Data analysis
Data were analyzed using SPSS version 9.0 software. Frequencies were compiled for all variables. Next, the demographic variables were cross-tabulated (contingency tables) with the responses to the CAM practices. Chi-square analyses were performed on the responses to the initial screening questions with the responses to the use of specific CAM therapies obtained in the later questions. The short answer responses to the open-ended questions were reviewed for use of child CAM therapy, and the
Results
The convenience sample of 191 parents reported 440 children who ranged in age from 2 weeks to older than 18 years, with a mean number of 2.4 children per parent respondent. The mean age of the children was 7.1 years, while the median age category of the oldest child in the family was school-age (ages 6-12). More than 93% of the participating parents were female and 80% were White (see Table 1).Characteristic n % Gender Female 179 93.7 Male 12 6.3 Race White 153 80 African American 33 17
Discussion
These findings demonstrate that health care professionals must ask about the use of CAM practices with more than one question for clarification or confirmation. In this study, several parents responded in the negative to the vitamin screening question, but then responded affirmative to either vitamin use on the checklist or on the open-ended question by indicating that they used vitamin C for their children for “cold” and sore throat care.
In response to the screening question of parental use of
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2021, Complementary Therapies in MedicineThe use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) among Italian children: A cross-sectional survey
2019, Complementary Therapies in MedicineSurvey of complementary and alternative medicine in pediatric inpatient settings
2017, Complementary Therapies in MedicineCitation Excerpt :In this report, we use the older term, “complementary and alternative medicine” (CAM), rather than the newer “complementary and integrative health” as we are unable to determine to what degree the reported modalities are integrated into the overall care of the patient and felt respondents might be more familiar with the older term. Prior studies have reported rates of CAM use in pediatric outpatients of 20% to 40%2–4 Among select pediatric populations, the rate of CAM use is likely higher, including children with cancer, gastrointestinal issues, cystic fibrosis, and cerebral palsy.5–10 However, few studies have examined CAM use in inpatient pediatric populations.
Natural health product use and management in pediatrics: An integrative review
2014, European Journal of Integrative MedicineComplementary and alternative approaches used by parents of children with epilepsy on epilepsy management
2014, Epilepsy and BehaviorCitation Excerpt :There is very little scientific proof of their benefits; however, the rising administration of CAMs to children is noteworthy [5,6]. The use of CAMs by children is reported to vary between 0.8 and 68% worldwide [6–12]. Complementary and alternative medicines are more commonly given to children with chronic diseases who need special care [13].
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Reprint requests: Deborah G. Loman, PhD, RN, CPNP, Saint Louis School of Nursing, 3525 Caroline Mall, St. Louis, MO 63104.
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