Use of complementary and alternative therapies by patients with self-reported chronic back pain: a nationwide survey in Canada.
OBJECTIVE
Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is gaining popularity among patients with chronic back pain. We looked for factors associated with CAM use.


METHODS
The data came from the cross-sectional household component of the 1996-1997 National Population Health Survey on the health status and behaviors of Canadians. The sample comprising 66.999 individuals aged 20 years or older represented 21 million adults. Cross tabulations were used to estimate the percentage of CAM use among adults with chronic back pain. Factors independently associated with CAM use during the year before the surveys were identified using multiple logistic regression.


RESULTS
CAM use was highest in the subgroup of Canadian adults reporting chronic back pain (39.07%). CAM use was associated with younger age, being married, having a higher level of education, and earning a higher income. Overall, the CAM users reported less pain, greater analgesic use, more depression, and more co-morbidities. In addition to CAM, these patients used conventional medical services.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results show that patients with chronic back pain who use CAM are more active, more involved in social life, and healthier, suggesting better management of their condition. They use CAM in addition to, rather than instead of, conventional care. CAM use in these patients may be ascribable to dissatisfaction with mainstream physicians.
Foltz
Violaine
V
Rheumatology Department, Pitié-Salpêtrière Teaching Hospital, 49-83 Bd de l'Hôpital, 75013 Paris, France. violaine.foltz@psl.ap-hop-paris.fr
St Pierre
Yvan
Y
Rozenberg
Sylvie
S
Rossignol
Michel
M
Bourgeois
Pierre
P
Joseph
Lawrence
L
Adam
Viviane
V
Penrod
John R
JR
Clarke
Ann E
AE
Fautrel
Bruno
B
D000328:Adult; D001416:Back Pain / Q000628:therapy*; D002170:Canada; D002908:Chronic Disease; D000529:Complementary Therapies / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged