title: Use of Complementary Therapies for Health Promotion Among Older Adults.
abstract: This article describes the types of complementary therapies used by older adults for health promotion, and delineates the predisposing, enabling, and need factors associated with their use. One-hundred ninety-five African American and White participants (age 65+) completed a baseline interview and up to six sets of three daily follow-up interviews at monthly intervals. Complementary therapies for health promotion included home remedies, specific foods or beverages, herbs, supplements, vitamins, over-the-counter (OTC) medicine, prayer, exercise, and being active. Although gender, ethnicity, education, and trust in doctors were associated with the use of complementary therapies for health promotion, health information seeking was the predisposing factor most often associated. The enabling factors were also associated with their use. Health information seeking, which reflects a wellness lifestyle, had the most consistent associations with complementary therapy use for health promotion. This health self-management for health promotion may have positive effects on future medical expenditures.
authors.affiliation: Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA tarcury@wakehealth.edu.
authors.forename: Thomas A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Arcury
authors.affiliation: Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Ha T
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Nguyen
authors.affiliation: Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Joanne C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Sandberg
authors.affiliation: Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Rebecca H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Neiberg
authors.affiliation: Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Kathryn P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Altizer
authors.affiliation: Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Ronny A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Bell
authors.affiliation: Oklahoma State University, Tulsa, OK, USA.
authors.forename: Joseph G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Grzywacz
authors.affiliation: Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Lang
authors.affiliation: Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Sara A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Quandt
mesh_terms: D001741:Black or African American; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000529:Complementary Therapies; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000639:trends*; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D004366:Nonprescription Drugs; D009657:North Carolina / Q000208:ethnology; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000208:ethnology*; D012648:Self Care; D014505:Urban Population; D044465:White People
chemical_list: D004366:Nonprescription Drugs
keywords: complementary and alternative medicine; disease prevention; health promotion; minoirty aging