The use of alternative treatments in the Finnish adult population

Author(s): Meriläinen, P., Sinkkonen, S.

Abstract: The emergence of alternative medicine is seen representing the crisis of the Welfare State. Finland is used as an example of the modern Welfare State in the study. The aim was to discover the scope and usage of alternative medicine. The empirical data were collected from the Finnish adult population between 15 and 64 years of age. The response rate was 92%, with the size of the study group 1 755 people. Cross tabulations and linear discriminant analysis were used. The study shows that alternative medicine is commonly used, and the use pattern is complementary rather than alternative. The people are able to combine different official and unofficial treatments. Usage of alternative medicine was determined by female sex and multidimensional ill health including subjective feelings and diagnosed disease. The study suggests that there are two health cultures: modern alternative and traditional.

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