title: Complementary and alternative medicine use and adherence to asthma medications among Latino and non-Latino white families.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The current study sought to evaluate patterns of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use in a sample of Latino and non-Latino white (NLW) children with asthma to determine whether parental beliefs about conventional medications and barriers to obtaining these medications were related to CAM use and to assess whether CAM use was associated with decreased adherence to controller medications.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants included 574 families of children with asthma from NLW, Puerto Rican (PR), and Dominican backgrounds from Rhode Island (RI) and from Island PR. All parents completed a brief checklist of barriers to medication use and an assessment of CAM approaches. A subsample of 259 families had controller medication use monitored objectively for approximately 1 month by MDILog (fluticasone propionate), TrackCap (montelukast), or dosage counter (fluticasone/salmeterol combination).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Prevalence of CAM use was high among Latino families. Perceived barriers to obtaining medication were related to increased CAM use in PR families from RI. Elevated medication concerns were positively associated with CAM use among NLW and Island PR families. CAM use was positively related to objective adherence within NLW families, and unrelated in other groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CAM use is common among Latino families with asthma. Among some families, CAM use may be initiated as a way to cope with barriers to obtaining medication or when parents have concerns about conventional medications. Families who report CAM use do not appear to be substituting CAM for conventional asthma medication.
authors.affiliation: Bradley/Hasbro Children's Research Center, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI. Electronic address: Elizabeth_McQuaid@brown.edu.
authors.forename: Elizabeth L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: McQuaid
authors.affiliation: Bradley/Hasbro Children's Research Center, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI.
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Fedele
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Development and Family Studies, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI.
authors.forename: Sue K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Adams
authors.affiliation: Bradley/Hasbro Children's Research Center, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI.
authors.forename: Daphne
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Koinis-Mitchell
authors.affiliation: Bradley/Hasbro Children's Research Center, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI.
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mitchell
authors.affiliation: Bradley/Hasbro Children's Research Center, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI.
authors.forename: Sheryl J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Kopel
authors.affiliation: Bradley/Hasbro Children's Research Center, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI.
authors.forename: Ronald
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Seifer
authors.affiliation: Bradley/Hasbro Children's Research Center, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Jandasek
authors.affiliation: Bradley/Hasbro Children's Research Center, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI.
authors.forename: Gregory K
authors.initials: GK
authors.lastname: Fritz
authors.affiliation: Behavioral Sciences Research Institute, University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus, San Juan, PR.
authors.forename: Glorisa
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Canino
mesh_terms: D000069:Acculturation; D000085:Acetates / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000420:Albuterol / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000730:Androstadienes / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001249:Asthma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000208:ethnology; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D000529:Complementary Therapies / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003521:Cyclopropanes; D004293:Dominican Republic / Q000208:ethnology; D004338:Drug Combinations; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D000068298:Fluticasone; D000068297:Fluticasone-Salmeterol Drug Combination; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D011647:Puerto Rico / Q000208:ethnology; D011804:Quinolines / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012237:Rhode Island; D013440:Sulfides; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016903:Drug Monitoring
chemical_list: D000085:Acetates; D000730:Androstadienes; D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents; D003521:Cyclopropanes; D004338:Drug Combinations; D000068297:Fluticasone-Salmeterol Drug Combination; D011804:Quinolines; D013440:Sulfides; D000068298:Fluticasone; C093875:montelukast; D000420:Albuterol
keywords: adherence; asthma; complementary and alternative medicine