title: Prevalence and factors associated with the use of alternative (folk) medicine practitioners in 8 countries of the former Soviet Union.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Research suggests that since the collapse of the Soviet Union there has been a sharp growth in the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in some former Soviet countries. However, as yet, comparatively little is known about the use of CAM in the countries throughout this region. Against this background, the aim of the current study was to determine the prevalence of using alternative (folk) medicine practitioners in eight countries of the former Soviet Union (fSU) and to examine factors associated with their use.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were obtained from the Living Conditions, Lifestyles and Health (LLH) survey undertaken in eight former Soviet countries (Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia and Ukraine) in 2001. In this nationally representative cross-sectional survey, 18428 respondents were asked about how they treated 10 symptoms, with options including the use of alternative (folk) medicine practitioners. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine the factors associated with the treatment of differing symptoms by such practitioners in these countries.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of using an alternative (folk) medicine practitioner for symptom treatment varied widely between countries, ranging from 3.5% in Armenia to 25.0% in Kyrgyzstan. For nearly every symptom, respondents living in rural locations were more likely to use an alternative (folk) medicine practitioner than urban residents. Greater wealth was also associated with using these practitioners, while distrust of doctors played a role in the treatment of some symptoms.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The widespread use of alternative (folk) medicine practitioners in some fSU countries and the growth of this form of health care provision in the post-Soviet period in conditions of variable licensing and regulation, highlights the urgent need for more research on this phenomenon and its potential effects on population health in the countries in this region.
authors.affiliation: European Centre on Health of Societies in Transition, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, 15-17 Tavistock Place, London WC1H 9SH, UK. andrew.stickley@sh.se
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Stickley
authors.forename: Ai
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Koyanagi
authors.forename: Erica
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Richardson
authors.forename: Bayard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Roberts
authors.forename: Dina
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Balabanova
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: McKee
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000529:Complementary Therapies / Q000191:economics / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D008519:Medicine, Traditional / Q000191:economics / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014586:USSR; D055815:Young Adult