Characteristics of complementary and alternative medicine use among adults with current asthma, 2006.
BACKGROUND
Prevalence estimates of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use among persons with asthma vary widely; prior studies reported that patients do not discuss CAM use with their physicians. The authors examined the prevalence and characteristics of CAM use among adults with asthma to prepare physicians to discuss CAM use with their patients.


METHODS
CAM use among adults with current asthma was analyzed using the 2006 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data from a subset of 25 states that completed the follow-up Asthma Callback Survey. CAM use was defined as a "Yes" response to the use of one or more CAM therapies to control asthma during the previous 12 months. Statistics were calculated using SAS v9.2 Proc Surveyfreq to provide weighted estimates and account for complex sample design.


RESULTS
The prevalence of CAM use among adults with asthma was 39.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 36.9-42.3). There was no significant association with CAM use by sex, race/ethnicity, age, education, or geographic region. After adjusting for demographics and region, CAM use was significantly higher among persons with (1) financial barriers to asthma care (odds ratio [OR] = 2.8, 95% CI = 1.9-4.1); (2) an emergency room (ER) visit due to asthma (OR = 1.7 95% CI = 1.1-2.6); and (3) > or =14 asthma-associated disability days during the previous year (OR = 2.1, 95% CI = 1.4-3.1).


CONCLUSIONS
CAM use is common among adults with asthma. It is associated with financial barriers to asthma care and poor asthma control. Physicians should discuss CAM use with their asthma patients.
Air Pollution and Respiratory Health Branch, Division of Environmental Hazards and Health Effects, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. leslie.marino@downstate.edu
Leslie A
LA
Marino
Joannie
J
Shen
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001249:Asthma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D000529:Complementary Therapies / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015438:Health Behavior; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D016017:Odds Ratio; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D012008:Recurrence; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012737:Sex Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult