Complementary medicine use by Australian women with gynaecological cancer.
OBJECTIVE
Social and cultural factors are identified that impact on complementary therapy use among Australia-born and immigrant women diagnosed with gynaecological cancer.


METHODS
A qualitative study design including in-depth interviews with women diagnosed with gynaecological cancer (N=53) and participant observation was conducted.


RESULTS
Approximately one-third of women utilized complementary and alternative medicine, with this being determined by current health concerns and health beliefs related to the efficacy of different modalities. Four types of complementary therapy users emerged: consequential, therapeutic, informed and exploratory.


CONCLUSIONS
There was a relatively low uptake of complementary treatments. Choice was influenced by women's socio-demographic background, clinical and personal history, lack of personal experiences of gynaecological cancer among study participants' kin and friends, and lack of popular alternative literature on such cancer.
Markovic
Milica
M
Key Centre for Women's Health in Society, The University of Melbourne, Australia. milicam@unimelb.edu.au
Manderson
Lenore
L
Wray
Natalie
N
Quinn
Michael
M
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001294:Attitude to Health; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D000529:Complementary Therapies / Q000379:methods*; D003710:Demography; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D005833:Genital Neoplasms, Female / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations