title: Prevalence and characteristics of women who consult with osteopathic practitioners during pregnancy; a report from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health (ALSWH).
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The use of complementary medicine (CM) is common during pregnancy with visits to osteopathic practitioners growing in recent years. This study was conducted to investigate the prevalence and characteristics of women who consult osteopathic practitioners during pregnancy.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study sample was obtained via the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health (ALSWH). The women answered questions about consultations with osteopathic practitioners, pregnancy-related health concerns and attitudes to CM use.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total response rate of 79.2% (1835) was obtained. Of these, 104 women (6.1%) consulted with an osteopath during pregnancy for a pregnancy-related health condition. Women were more likely to consult an osteopath if they suffered from back pain, sadness, weight management issues, or had a history of retained placenta.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Women are visiting osteopaths for help with common pregnancy health complaints, highlighting the need for research to evaluate the safety, clinical and cost effectiveness of osteopathy in pregnancy.
authors.affiliation: Australian Research Centre in Complementary and Integrative Medicine (ARCCIM), Faculty of Health, UTS, Level 7, Building 10, 235-253 Jones Street, Ultimo, NSW 2006 Australia; Endeavour College of Natural Health, Level 2, 269 Wickham St, Fortitude Valley, Brisbane, QLD 4006 Australia. Electronic address: jane.e.frawley@student.uts.edu.au.
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Frawley
authors.affiliation: Australian Research Centre in Complementary and Integrative Medicine (ARCCIM), Faculty of Health, UTS, Level 7, Building 10, 235-253 Jones Street, Ultimo, NSW 2006 Australia; Research Unit for Studies of Integrative Health Care, Karolinska Institutet (NVS/OMV), Alfred Nobels Alle 23, 141 83 Stockholm, Sweden; IC - The Integrative Care Science Centre, 153 91 Jarna, Sweden.
authors.forename: Tobias
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sundberg
authors.affiliation: Australian Research Centre in Complementary and Integrative Medicine (ARCCIM), Faculty of Health, UTS, Level 7, Building 10, 235-253 Jones Street, Ultimo, NSW 2006 Australia; Endeavour College of Natural Health, Level 2, 269 Wickham St, Fortitude Valley, Brisbane, QLD 4006 Australia.
authors.forename: Amie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Steel
authors.affiliation: Australian Research Centre in Complementary and Integrative Medicine (ARCCIM), Faculty of Health, UTS, Level 7, Building 10, 235-253 Jones Street, Ultimo, NSW 2006 Australia.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sibbritt
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
authors.forename: Alex
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Broom
authors.affiliation: Australian Research Centre in Complementary and Integrative Medicine (ARCCIM), Faculty of Health, UTS, Level 7, Building 10, 235-253 Jones Street, Ultimo, NSW 2006 Australia.
authors.forename: Jon
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Adams
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001315:Australia; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D010021:Osteopathic Medicine / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011247:Pregnancy; D037841:Pregnant People; D015995:Prevalence; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D016387:Women's Health
keywords: Back pain; Complementary medicine; Osteopathy; Pregnancy