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A National Survey of Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use for Treatment Among Asian-Americans

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Abstract

Asian Americans (AAs) are more likely to use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) compared to other race/ethnicities, yet previous studies have conflicting results. The 2012 National Health Interview Survey data was analyzed to investigate AA’s (n = 2214) CAM use for treatment. AAs were divided into four subgroups: Chinese, Asian Indian, Filipino, and Other Asian. Only 9% of AAs reported using CAM for treatment, with 6% indicating CAM use specifically for chronic conditions. This could be a form of medical pluralism, a mixture of Eastern and Western health approaches. The “Other Asian” subgroup reported highest use of CAM for treatment. Significant predictors included age (≥ 65 years) and high educational attainment (≥ college degree). Sociodemographic factors were also significant predictors within Asian subgroups. Further investigation of this and other forms of medical pluralism among AAs are needed to explore potential cofounders and risks like underreporting, CAM schedules/dosages, cultural influences, and CAM’s impact on one’s health.

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Funding

This work was partially supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) under Grants U54MD007584 and U54MD007601. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent official views of NIH.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene, University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2528 McCarthy Mall, Webster 402, Honolulu, HI, 96822, USA

    Rhea Faye D. Felicilda-Reynaldo & Susan D. Driscoll

  2. Biostatistics Core, Department of Complementary and Integrative Medicine, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI, USA

    So Yung Choi

  3. Office of Public Health Studies, Myron B. Thompson School of Social Work, School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI, USA

    Cheryl L. Albright

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  1. Rhea Faye D. Felicilda-Reynaldo
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  2. So Yung Choi
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Correspondence to Rhea Faye D. Felicilda-Reynaldo.

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Felicilda-Reynaldo, R.F.D., Choi, S.Y., Driscoll, S.D. et al. A National Survey of Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use for Treatment Among Asian-Americans. J Immigrant Minority Health 22, 762–770 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-019-00936-z

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