Characteristics of visitors to homeopaths in a total adult population study in Norway (HUNT 2).
OBJECTIVE
To study the characteristics of people visiting homeopaths in a total adult population in Norway.


METHODS
Data from a total population cross sectional health survey conducted in 1995-1997 in Central Norway (HUNT 2) with 65,495 participants. Variables included in the analysis were age, marital status, education, being a social welfare recipient, lifestyle (daily smoker), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS-T), global health perception, self-reported health complaints and a variety of diseases. Significance level p<0.01.


RESULTS
40,027 persons over 20 years answered the question on visits to a homeopath. 4.3% had consulted a homeopath during the last 12 months. The likelihood of a person consulting a homeopath was most strongly associated with being female (adjusted odds ratio 2.3, 95% confidence interval 2.1-2.6) and having a lower perceived global health (increasing from 1.5, 1.2-1.8 for good global health to 2.9, 1.9-4.3 for poor global health). There was a weaker but significant association between increased likelihood of visiting a homeopath and being 30-39 years (1.3, 1.1-1.4), having a HADS-T score between 10-14 (1.3, 1.1-1.6) and 15-19 (1.6, 1.3-2.0), having a health complaint the last year (1.5, 1.2-1.7), hay fever (1.7, 1.5-2.0), consulted for a psychiatric complaint (1.5, 1.3-1.8) and another chronic disease than the ones asked about in this study (1.3, 1.1-1.6). Being a smoker was significantly associated with decreased likelihood of consulting a homeopath (0.7, 0.6-0.7). There was also a trend for increased likelihood of visits to homeopaths (p<0.1) for those 60 years and over, social welfare recipients, having a chronic complaint and HADS-T score of 20 or higher, and decreased likelihood for widow(er)s. CONCLUSIONS AND PROPOSALS: Being female and having a lower perceived global health were the variables most strongly associated with visits to a homeopath. More studies on visits to homeopaths from other populations (countries, children and adolescent) are needed.
Department of Public Health and General Practice, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway. aslak.steinsbekk@ntnu.no
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D000328:Adult; D000529:Complementary Therapies / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006705:Homeopathy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009664:Norway / Q000453:epidemiology