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.
Steinsbekk
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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