Predictors of complementary and alternative medicine use among older Mexican Americans

Jose A. Loera, Carlos Reyes-Ortiz, Yong Fang Kuo

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

32 Scopus citations

Abstract

To determine predictors of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use, we used a cohort of 1445 non-institutionalized Mexican Americans aged 65 and older from the first wave (1993-1994) of the Hispanic Established Population for the Epidemiologic Study of the Elderly, followed until 2000-2001. The main outcome was use of any CAM (herbal medicine, chiropractic, acupuncture, massage therapy, relaxation techniques or spiritual healing) in the past 12 months and was assessed at 7 years of follow-up. Potential predictors of CAM use at baseline included sociodemographics, acculturation factors, and medical conditions. The overall rate of CAM use among older Mexican Americans was 31.6%. Independent predictors of higher CAM use were female gender, being on Medicaid, frequent church attendance and higher number of medical conditions. In contrast, subjects who were born in US and spoke either Spanish or English at interview had lower CAM use compared with subjects who were born in Mexico.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)224-231
Number of pages8
JournalComplementary Therapies in Clinical Practice
Volume13
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 2007

Keywords

  • Acculturation
  • CAM use
  • Elderly
  • Medicaid
  • Mexican Americans
  • Religiosity

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Complementary and alternative medicine

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