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Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine Among Men with Prostate Cancer in a Rural Setting

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Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence and predictors of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use among rural patients with localized prostate cancer. The study also examined the participants’ disclosure of CAM use to their physicians. Baseline and 6-month follow-up data were taken from a study examining the factors that influence treatment choice and quality of life among men diagnosed with and being treated for localized prostate cancer residing in rural southwest Georgia (N = 321). A total of 291 participants were interviewed at baseline and 6-month follow-up. Findings: At baseline, 26.4% reported ever using CAM. Among them, dietary supplements were the most commonly used (75%), and 56% of patients did not disclose their CAM use to their physicians. At 6-month follow-up, 11% of the study sample reported using CAM since starting treatment (half of these were new users). The proportions of CAM users who reported taking dietary supplements after treatment were significantly lower than the corresponding proportions before treatment. CAM use after treatment was more common among those who selected surgery and watchful waiting. While 44% of the sample disclosed using CAM to their doctors before treatment, 61% after treatment began (P = 0.05). We found that CAM use after cancer treatment in this population was markedly less common than in nationally reported data for cancer patients. In line with national patterns, younger and more educated rural patients were significantly more likely to have ever used CAM and to use it after treatment.

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Acknowledgments

This publication was supported by Cooperative Agreement Number SIP 25-04 (Grant 3 U48 DP000043-01S1) from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Behavioral Sciences and Health Education, Emory University Rollins School of Public Health, 1518 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA

    Susan Butler, Ashli Owen-Smith & Colleen DiIorio

  2. Department of Epidemiology, Emory University Rollins School of Public Health, 1518 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA

    Michael Goodman & Jonathan Liff

  3. Georgia Comprehensive Cancer Registry, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Michael Goodman & Jonathan Liff

  4. Department of Environmental Health, Emory University Rollins School of Public Health, 1518 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA

    Kyle Steenland

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  1. Susan Butler
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  2. Ashli Owen-Smith
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  4. Michael Goodman
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Correspondence to Susan Butler.

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Butler, S., Owen-Smith, A., DiIorio, C. et al. Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine Among Men with Prostate Cancer in a Rural Setting. J Community Health 36, 1004–1010 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-011-9402-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-011-9402-6

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