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eCAM Advance Access originally published online on October 25, 2005
eCAM 2005 2(4):557-565; doi:10.1093/ecam/neh138
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© The Author (2005). Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.
The online version of this article has been published under an open access model. Users are entitled to use, reproduce, disseminate, or display the open access version of this article for non-commercial purposes provided that: the original authorship is properly and fully attributed; the Journal and Oxford University Press are attributed as the original place of publication with the correct citation details given; if an article is subsequently reproduced or disseminated not in its entirety but only in part or as a derivative work this must be clearly indicated. For commercial re-use, please contact journals.permissions{at}oxfordjournals.org

The Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine Among California Adults With and Without Cancer

Michael S Goldstein1,*, E. Richard Brown2, Rachel Ballard-Barbash3, Hal Morgenstern4, Roshan Bastani5, Jennifer Lee1, Nicole Gatto6 and Anita Ambs7

1Department of Community Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of California Los Angeles, USA, 2Department of Community Health Sciences and Center for Health Policy Research, School of Public Health, University of California Los Angeles, USA, 3Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute Los Angeles, USA, 4Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Michigan Los Angeles, USA, 5Department of Health Services, School of Public Health, University of California Los Angeles, USA, 6Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Southern California USA, and 7Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute USA

This article examines the extent and correlates of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use among a population-based sample of California adults that is highly diverse in terms of sociodemographic characteristics and health status. As a follow-up to a state-wide health survey of 55 428 people, 9187 respondents were interviewed by phone regarding their use of 11 different types of CAM providers, special diets, dietary supplements, mind–body interventions, self-prayer and support groups. The sample included all participants in the initial survey who reported a diagnosis of cancer, all the non-white respondents, as well as a random sample of all the white respondents. The relation of CAM use to the respondents' demographic characteristics and health status is assessed. CAM use among Californians is generally high, and the demographic factors associated with high rates of CAM use are the same in California as have been found in other studies. Those reporting a diagnosis of cancer and those who report other chronic health problems indicate a similar level of visits to CAM providers. However, those with cancer are less likely to report using special diets, and more likely to report using support groups and prayer. Health status, gender, ethnicity and education have an independent impact upon CAM use among those who are healthy as well as those who report suffering from chronic health problems, although the precise relation varies by the type of CAM used.

Keywords: CAM – cancer – chronic illness

*For reprints and all correspondence: Michael S. Goldstein, PhD, School of Public Health, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA. Tel: +1-310-825-5116; Fax: +1-310-794-1805; E-mail: msgoldst{at}ucla.edu


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