title: Parent-pediatrician communication about complementary and alternative medicine use for children.
abstract: Anonymous self-report surveys of a convenience sample of caregivers accompanying children to the pediatrician for acute or well visits at 4 pediatric practices in the Washington, DC area from July through November 1998 were evaluated. Three hundred seventy-eight (85%) of 443 caregivers approached participated. The 348 surveys completed by parents (92%) were analyzed. As previously reported, in this sample 21% of parents used complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) for their child. Overall, 53% of parents expressed the desire to discuss CAM with their pediatrician, increasing to 75% (p<0.001) among those who used CAM themselves and 81% (p<0.01) among those who used CAM for their child. Among parents who used CAM for their child, 36% had discussed it with their pediatrician. Factors associated with increased disclosure to the pediatrician were CAM use in children younger than 6 years (p<0.05), "bioenergetic" CAM use (p<0.02), and parent CAM non-use (p<0.05). Despite parents' significant interest in discussion about CAM, few factors were associated with adequate parent-pediatrician communication.
authors.affiliation: Division of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Erica M S
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Sibinga
authors.forename: Mary C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Ottolini
authors.forename: Anne K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Duggan
authors.forename: Modena H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Wilson
mesh_terms: D015670:Acupuncture Therapy; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001294:Attitude to Health; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D000529:Complementary Therapies; D030881:Disclosure; D004522:Educational Status; D005006:Ethnicity; D006705:Homeopathy; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D026201:Musculoskeletal Manipulations; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology; D010372:Pediatrics; D008517:Phytotherapy; D011368:Professional-Family Relations; D012648:Self Care; D026443:Spiritual Therapies; D019124:Therapeutic Touch