J Altern Complement Med. 2001 Jun; 7(3): 277-80.

Correlates of use of alternative medicine by the elderly in an urban population.

Cherniack EP, Senzel RS, Pan CX.

Department of Geriatrics and Adult Development, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA. cherniack.paul@bronx.va.gov

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence and predictors of use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) by the elderly. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey examining patterns of use of complementary therapies in two urban multiethnic populations of older adults. SETTING AND SUBJECTS: A convenience sample of 421 older participants were interviewed at two sites: a university geriatrics primary care practice and a veterans medical clinic, both in New York City. Subjects were excluded if they did not speak English or if they were moderately cognitively impaired. MEASUREMENT: Use of CAM within the previous year. RESULTS: Fifty-eight percent (58%) of all subjects surveyed used some form of CAM, and close to 75% at the university practice alone. Use correlated most strongly with female gender (p < 0.0001), greater education (p = 0.0095), thyroid disease (p = 0.0190) and arthritis (p = 0.0251). There was no correlation with income, race, age, or self-perceived health status. CONCLUSIONS: CAM use is highly prevalent in older persons in this study, especially among females and those who are more highly educated.