title: Gender-specific correlates of complementary and alternative medicine use for knee osteoarthritis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Knee osteoarthritis (OA) increases healthcare use and cost. Women have higher pain and lower quality of life measures compared to men even after accounting for differences in age, body mass index (BMI), and radiographic OA severity. Our objective was to describe gender-specific correlates of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use among persons with radiographically confirmed knee OA.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative, 2,679 women and men with radiographic tibiofemoral OA in at least one knee were identified. Treatment approaches were classified as current CAM therapy (alternative medical systems, mind-body interventions, manipulation and body-based methods, energy therapies, and three types of biologically based therapies) or conventional medication use (over-the-counter or prescription). Gender-specific multivariable logistic regression models identified sociodemographic and clinical/functional correlates of CAM use.
  
  
  RESULTS
  CAM use, either alone (23.9% women, 21.9% men) or with conventional medications (27.3% women, 19.0% men), was common. Glucosamine use (27.2% women, 28.2% men) and chondroitin sulfate use (24.8% women; 25.7% men) did not differ by gender. Compared to men, women were more likely to report use of mind-body interventions (14.1% vs. 5.7%), topical agents (16.1% vs. 9.5%), and concurrent CAM strategies (18.0% vs. 9.9%). Higher quality of life measures and physical function indices in women were inversely associated with any therapy, and higher pain scores were positively associated with conventional medication use. History of hip replacement was a strong correlate of conventional medication use in women but not in men.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Women were more likely than men to use CAM alone or concomitantly with conventional medications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Community Health, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23219, USA. jawaharr@vcu.edu
authors.forename: Rachel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jawahar
authors.forename: Shibing
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Charles B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Eaton
authors.forename: Timothy
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: McAlindon
authors.forename: Kate L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Lapane
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001294:Attitude to Health; D015992:Body Mass Index; D000529:Complementary Therapies / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D016017:Odds Ratio; D020370:Osteoarthritis, Knee / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D011788:Quality of Life; D011859:Radiography; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States