The profile of women who consult alternative health practitioners in Australia.
OBJECTIVE
To compare the characteristics of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) users and non-users among Australian women.


METHODS
Cross-sectional postal questionnaire conducted during 1996, forming the baseline survey of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health.


METHODS
Women aged 18-23 years (n = 14 779), 45-50 years (n = 14 099) and 70-75 years (n = 12 939), randomly selected from the Health Insurance Commission database, with over-sampling of women from rural and remote areas of Australia.


METHODS
Consultation with an alternative health practitioner in the 12 months before the survey.


RESULTS
Women in the mid-age cohort were more likely to have consulted an alternative health practitioner in the previous year (28%) than women in the younger cohort (19%) or older cohort (15%). In all age groups, CAM users were more likely than CAM non-users to reside in non-urban areas, to report poorer health, have more symptoms and illness, and be higher users of conventional health services.


CONCLUSIONS
Women in non-urban Australia are more likely to use CAM but do so in in parallel with conventional health services.
Adams
Jon
J
Centre for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Newcastle, NSW. jon.adams@newcastle.edu.au
Sibbritt
David W
DW
Easthope
Gary
G
Young
Anne F
AF
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001315:Australia; D000529:Complementary Therapies / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006296:Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors