title: Health-related self-perceptions over time and provider-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) use in people with inflammatory bowel disease or arthritis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To prospectively investigate how health-related self-perceptions are associated with use of provider-based CAM in two chronic inflammatory diseases, arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective online survey was administered to convenience samples of individuals with arthritis or inflammatory bowel disease, and a follow-up survey completed 6 months later. Participants were recruited via online ads, through national organizations, and support groups.
  
  
  METHODS
  Surveys included measures of demographics, use of provider-delivered CAM, disease-related factors, self-perceptions of having a healthy lifestyle and being able to handle stress, and trait resilience.
  
  
  RESULTS
  325 people (170 with arthritis and 155 with IBD) completed the initial and follow-up surveys. Rates of CAM use were 43.2% and 45.9% for the arthritis and IBD groups, respectively. T-tests revealed significant differences on healthy lifestyle self-perceptions and trait resilience for both illness groups. Differences in self-perceptions about handling stress were only significant in the IBD group. Multivariate logistic regression controlling for demographics and health-related variables revealed that seeing oneself as having a healthy lifestyle predicted CAM use in both illness groups. Being resilient predicted CAM use only in the IBD group, and self-perceptions about handling stress predicted CAM use only in the arthritis group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study provides insights into how health-related self-perceptions are prospectively linked to provider-based CAM use in patients with chronic inflammatory disease. This information is important for both health-care practitioners and researchers as it has implications for maximizing the health-promoting aspects of CAM use and understanding CAM adherence.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Bishop's University, 2600 College St., Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada J1M 1Z7. Electronic address: fsirois@ubishops.ca.
authors.forename: Fuschia M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Sirois
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001168:Arthritis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy*; D000529:Complementary Therapies / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D015212:Inflammatory Bowel Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy*; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Arthritis; Inflammatory bowel disease; Lifestyle; Personality; Provider-based CAM; Resilience; Self-perceptions