Factors associated with complementary medicine use in pediatric musculoskeletal conditions: Results from a national survey

Ezra M. Cohen*, Michelle L. Dossett, Darshan H. Mehta, Roger B. Davis, Yvonne C. Lee

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

2 Scopus citations

Abstract

Objectives Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use is common in children, but its use has only been investigated in children with musculoskeletal conditions (MSK) to a limited extent. We aimed to characterize factors associated with CAM use in children with MSK conditions. Methods Within the 2012 National Health Interview Survey dataset (including its child CAM supplement), we examined factors associated with CAM use in children with MSK conditions and performed an analysis examining the perceived usefulness of CAM therapies for MSK conditions. Results Overall, there were 10,218 children in the dataset. 28.0% of children with MSK conditions used CAM, compared to 8.8% of children without MSK conditions. Gender (p = 0.003), region (p = 0.001), race (p = 0.001), parental CAM use (p < 0.001), education (<0.001), and having anxiety, stress or depression (p = 0.030) were correlated with CAM use. Among 90 children who reported on CAM use, 89.7% said that CAM helped some or a great deal for their MSK condition. Conclusions Several factors, particularly parental education and parental CAM use, were associated with CAM use, and self-reported improvement rates were high. Interventional trials are needed to determine the efficacy of specific CAM therapies for treating different MSK conditions in children.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)53-58
Number of pages6
JournalComplementary Therapies in Medicine
Volume31
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 1 2017

Keywords

  • Complementary and alternative medicine
  • Integrative medicine
  • Musculoskeletal diseases
  • Pediatrics
  • Rheumatology

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Complementary and Manual Therapy
  • Complementary and alternative medicine
  • Advanced and Specialized Nursing

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Factors associated with complementary medicine use in pediatric musculoskeletal conditions: Results from a national survey'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this