title: Limited Health Knowledge as a Reason for Non-Use of Four Common Complementary Health Practices.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Complementary health practices are an important element of health/healthcare seeking behavior among adults in the United States. Reasons for use include medical need, prevention and wellness promotion, and cultural relevance. Survey studies published over the past several decades have provided important information on the use of complementary health practices, such as acupuncture and yoga. A review of the literature, however, reveals an absence of studies looking specifically at who does not use these approaches, and why not.
  
  
  METHODS
  To explore this issue two samples were created using data from the 2007 National Health Interview Survey Complementary and Alternative Medicine supplement. Of particular interest was the relationship between lack of health knowledge, as a reason for non-use, and key independent variables. The first sample was comprised of individuals who had never used any of four common complementary health practices -- acupuncture, chiropractic, natural products, and yoga. The second was a subset of those same non-users who had also reported low back pain, the most frequently cited health concern related to use of complementary therapies.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A hypothesized association between lack of health knowledge, lower educational attainment, and other key socioeconomic indicators was supported in the findings. Although it was hypothesized that low back pain would be associated with greater information seeking, regardless of level of education, that hypothesis was not supported.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Lack of knowledge was found to affect utilization of common complementary health practices, regardless of the potentially motivating presence of back pain. Disparities in the utilization of complementary medicine, related to educational attainment and other socioeconomic factors, may negatively affect quality of care for many Americans. Creative approaches are needed to help reduce inequities in understanding and improve access to care for underserved populations.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Holistic Health Studies, Department of Health Education, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, California, United States of America.
authors.forename: Adam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Burke
authors.affiliation: National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America.
authors.forename: Richard L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Nahin
authors.affiliation: National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America.
authors.forename: Barbara J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Stussman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001416:Back Pain / Q000628:therapy; D000529:Complementary Therapies; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult