Use of provider delivered complementary and alternative therapies in Hawai'i: results of the Hawai'i Health Survey.

Abstract

Several factors emerged that may indicate increased use of provider delivered CAM. Most provider delivered CAM users are more educated, have incomes 200% or more above the poverty line, and reported either good or very good health status. Among respondents with poor health status, 60.4% have used provider delivered CAM. Those with a body mass index indicating that they were overweight also reported a high level of provider delivered CAM use (51.4%). Similar percentages of both women and men use provider delivered CAM, while the youngest and oldest respondents reported the least use of provider delivered CAM. Whites (60.0%) and Koreans (56.6%) reported the highest percentage of use of provider delivered CAM, while African Americans (35.5%) and Filipinos (37. 1%) reported the lowest percentage. The majority of people without health insurance report provider delivered CAM use (53. 7%). The highest portion of people who have usedanyalternative health care service is found among those whose pain severely interferes with normal work (78.3%). CONCLUSIONS The use of provider delivered CAM was found to be significantly greater in Hawaii compared with the mainland. Our results suggest the need for additional investigation of provider delivered CAM use in specific ethnic subpopulations.