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n % Sex Male 2378 49 Female 2484 51 Missing data 0 0 Age (years) 15–24 762 16 25–34 817 17 35–44 771 16 45–54 832 17 55–64 656 13 65+ 1024 21 Missing data 0 0 Social grade (based on occupation of chief income earner)a A 168 3 B 1163 24 C1 1317 27 C2 1053 22 D 744 15 E 416 9 Missing data 1 <1 Household income (annual) Up to £11 499 650 13 £11 500–£24 999 804 17 £25 000+ 1664 34 Missing data 1744 36b Marital status Married/living as 2801 58 Single 1407 29 Widowed/divorced/separated 636 13 Missing data 18 <1 Working status Working 2676 55 In education 398 8 Not working 1788 37 Missing data 0 0 Region of England North 1395 29 Midlands 1057 22 South 1697 35 London 713 15 Missing data 0 0 Ethnicity White 4171 86 Mixed 46 1 Asian 452 9 Black 130 3 Other 53 1 Missing data 10 <1 Housing tenure Mortgage/owned 3028 62 Rented 1751 36 Other 38 1 Missing data 45 1 aBased on National Readership Survey categories: A: High managerial, administrative, or professional B: Intermediate managerial, administrative, or professional C1: Supervisory, clerical and junior managerial, administrative, or professional C2: Skilled manual workers D: Semi and unskilled manual workers E: State pensioners, casual, or lowest grade workers, unemployed with state benefits only bMissing data of around one-third is usual for the Capibus survey n % Type of CAM practitioner Massage practitioner 143 19 Osteopath 91 12 Acupuncturist 88 11 Chiropractor 87 11 Yoga teacher 52 7 Physiotherapist-delivered CAM 41 5 Pilates teacher 28 4 Reflexologist 22 3 Meditation and/or mindfulness teacher 20 3 Homeopath 20 3 Reiki practitioner 17 2 Hypnotherapist 15 2 Herbalist 14 2 Chinese herbal medical practitioner 12 2 Other 74 10 Number of times they saw the CAM practitioner in the past 12 months Once a year 185 24 2–3 times 211 28 4–6 times 177 23 Once or twice a month 115 15 Once or twice a week 68 9 More than twice a week 8 1 Don’t know 2 <1 Route to CAM practitioner I found them myself or they were recommended by friend/family 539 70 My GP referred or recommended me 133 17 Another NHS health professional (for example consultant) referred me 33 4 Another complementary practitioner referred or recommended me 33 4 My GP or another NHS health professional I was seeing provided the complementary treatment themselves 14 2 Through company or work insurance 11 1 Other 22 3 Payment for treatment by CAM practitioners I or my family/friend paid for all of it 510 67 The NHS paid for all of it 103 13 I or my family/friend paid for part of it 50 7 My health insurance paid for all of it 22 3 Free (general) 16 2 The NHS paid for part of it 15 2 Another organisation, such as a charity, paid for all of it 14 2 Other 41 5 Don’t know 2 <1 Cost per visit to the CAM practitionera Less than £10 76 14 Between £11 and £20 55 10 Between £21 and £30 126 23 Between £31 and £40 163 29 Between £41 and £50 73 13 Between £51 and £60 35 6 Between £60 and £100 23 4 Over £100 5 1 Prefer not to say/don’t know 3 <1 aThis only applies to the n = 560 who paid for all or part of the CAM themselves Univariable analysis Multivariable analysis Factor Category Odds ratio (95% CI) P value Odds ratio (95% CI) P value Sex Male 1 1 Female 1.74 (1.48 to 2.04) <0.001 1.79 (1.50 to 2.13) <0.001 Age 15–24 1 1 25–34 1.75 (1.28 to 2.4) <0.001 1.81 (1.24 to 2.65) 0.002 35–44 2.74 (2.02 to 3.71) <0.001 2.50 (1.70 to 3.69) <0.001 45–54 2.47 (1.83 to 3.34) <0.001 2.04 (1.37 to 3.03) <0.001 55–64 2.29 (1.67 to 3.14) <0.001 2.09 (1.38 to 3.15) <0.001 65+ 1.48 (1.09 to 2.02) 0.012 1.49 (0.95 to 2.34) 0.081 Ethnicity White 1 1 Mixed 1.49 (0.75 to 2.98) 0.26 1.73 (0.93 to 3.24) 0.085 Asian 0.35 (0.24 to 0.51) <0.001 0.46 (0.33 to 0.66) <0.001 Black 0.44 (0.23 to 0.82) 0.01 0.56 (0.31 to 0.99) 0.047 Other 0.95 (0.46 to 1.98) 0.89 0.78 (0.36 to 1.68) 0.52 Housing tenure Owner 1 Rented 0.61 (0.51 to 0.72) <0.001 0.84 (0.68 to 1.04) 0.11 Income Low (up to £11 499) 1 Not conducted, due to 30% missing data Medium (£11 500–£24 999) 1.13 (0.83 to 1.52) 0.43 High (£25 000 or more) 1.78 (1.38 to 2.31) <0.001 Marital status Married 1 1 Single 0.72 (0.6 to 0.86) <0.001 1.21 (0.96 to 1.52) 0.11 Widowed/divorced/separated 0.83 (0.65 to 1.05) 0.12 1.04 (0.79 to 1.38) 0.77 Region North 1 Midlands 1.07 (0.85 to 1.35) 0.55 1.09 (0.86 to 1.37) 0.47 South 1.69 (1.4 to 2.06) <0.001 1.46 (1.18 to 1.81) <0.001 London 0.83 (0.63 to 1.1) 0.19 0.90 (0.68 to 1.20) 0.49 Working status Employed 1 1 Student 0.48 (0.34 to 0.68) <0.001 0.89 (0.59 to 1.35) 0.60 Unemployed 0.65 (0.55 to 0.77) <0.001 0.74 (0.59 to 0.92) 0.008 Social grade (per grade) 0.77 (0.73 to 0.82) <0.001 0.82 (0.76 to 0.88) <0.001 n % Musculoskeletal (net) 520 68 Back pain 292 38 Other musculoskeletal pain (neck pain, shoulder pain, knee pain) 172 22 Arthritis (osteo- or rheumatoid) 48 6 Headaches/migraines 33 4 Other chronic pain 29 4 Fibromyalgia 10 1 Other (net) 223 2 Women's health 25 3 Preventative 23 3 Relaxation 23 3 General health/wellbeing 22 3 Exercise/keeping fit 17 2 Digestive problems 13 2 Other 124 16 Mental health (net) 92 12 Minor mental health symptoms (minor depression, anxiety, stress) 50 7 Tiredness or fatigue 22 3 Sleep problems/insomnia 15 2 Serious mental health conditions 9 1 Chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis 8 1 Don’t know 4 1 No answer 6 1 GP referred/ recommended (n = 133) Self-referred (n = 539) P value NHS paid for some or all (n = 117) NHS did not pay (n = 649) P value n % (of column) n % (of column) n % (of column) n % (of column) Acupuncturea 22 16 52 10 0.021 21 29 67 12 0.017 Physiotherapist-delivered CAMab 20 15 15 3 <0.001 15 21 26 5 <0.001 Chiropractica 13 10 67 13 0.42 5 7 82 14 0.009 Osteopathy 11 8 75 14 0.09 10 14 80 14 0.28 Massagea 9 6 110 20 <0.001 10 14 133 23 0.002 Yogaa 4 3 45 8 0.036 2 3 50 9 0.015 Pilates 3 2 22 4 0.34 1 1 27 5 0.11 Reflexology 1 1 19 4 0.15 1 1 21 4 0.23 Homeopathy 1 1 17 3 0.13 0 0 20 4 0.057 Meditation/ mindfulness 4 3 12 2 0.58 4 6 16 3 0.53 Reiki 2 1 13 2 0.74 1 1 16 3 0.49 Hypnotherapy 2 1 12 2 0.62 1 1 14 2 0.71 Herbal medicine 3 2 10 2 0.74 1 1 13 2 0.39 Chinese herbal medicine 1 1 11 2 0.48 1 1 11 2 0.50 Traditional medicineac 6 5 3 1 0.003 9 8 2 >1 <0.001 Nutritional therapy 3 2 3 1 0.09 3 3 7 1 0.19 aStatistically significant. bNot included in the list of CAM presented as part of the questionnaire but coded from open responses to Q2
cMay have been interpreted by participants as meaning conventional medicine.
Demographics Access route to CAM Unadjusted Adjusted GP referred/ recommended (n = 133) Self-referred (n = 539) Odds ratio for GP referral 95% confidence interval P value Odds ratio for GP referral 95% confidence interval P value n % of row n % of row Sex Male 55 19 186 65 1.00 1.00 Female 78 16 353 74 0.81 0.56 to 1.19 0.286 0.69 0.44 to 1.07 0.097 Age 15–24 14 21 42 61 1.00 1.00 25–34 15 13 86 72 0.56 0.25 to 1.23 0.147 0.62 0.25 to 1.51 0.293 35–44 16 10 120 73 0.41 0.19 to 0.88 0.023 0.48 0.19 to 1.22 0.124 45–54 25 15 118 72 0.69 0.34 to 1.42 0.315 0.91 0.36 to 2.30 0.849 55–64 28 23 84 69 1.13 0.55 to 2.32 0.741 1.37 0.54 to 3.46 0.51 65+ 34 26 89 68 1.34 0.66 to 2.70 0.417 1.15 0.41 to 3.20 0.796 Ethnicity White 119 17 501 71 1.00 1.00 Asian 1 12 8 74 0.64 0.10 to 4.26 0.646 0.83 0.16 to 4.37 0.826 Black 10 34 15 50 2.47 1.13 to 5.42 0.024 2.73 1.25 to 5.98 0.012 Mixed 2 18 6 57 1.08 0.22 to 5.23 0.928 1.27 0.29 to 5.54 0.752 Other 1 6 8 87 0.31 0.02 to 5.25 0.414 0.37 0.04 to 3.65 0.398 Housing tenure Mortgaged 79 14 413 75 1.00 1.00 Rented 51 2 122 59 1.90 1.28 to 2.83 0.001 2.43 1.47 to 4.03 0.001 Other 2 25 5 50 1.94 0.42 to 9.01 0.399 2.17 0.37 to 12.87 0.394 Income Up to £11 499 25 30 48 56 1.00 1.00 £11 500–£24 999 25 20 85 71 0.59 0.31 to 1.12 0.108 Not conducted, due to 30% missing data £25 000+ 46 13 266 74 0.33 0.19 to 0.57 <0.001 Marital status Married 77 16 346 71 1.00 1.00 Single 35 19 125 68 1.25 0.81 to 1.94 0.317 1.03 0.59 to 1.78 0.922 Widow/divorced/separated 20 21 68 72 1.45 0.84 to 2.51 0.186 1.13 0.59 to 2.15 0.718 Region of England North 42 22 120 65 1.00 1.00 Midlands 23 16 103 69 0.64 0.36 to 1.12 0.115 0.61 0.34 to 1.07 0.086 South 59 17 251 72 0.70 0.45 to 1.09 0.117 0.82 0.49 to 1.37 0.444 London 9 11 65 80 0.42 0.19 to 0.92 0.03 0.51 0.23 to 1.14 0.101 Working status Working 62 13 368 74 1.00 1.00 In education 7 17 26 67 1.43 0.60 to 3.43 0.422 0.74 0.27 to 2.04 0.565 Not working 64 28 145 63 2.66 1.80 to 3.94 <0.001 1.77 1.02 to 3.08 0.043 Social gradea A 2 6 27 76 1.00 1.00 B 34 14 174 72 2.41 0.59 to 9.84 0.221 1.94 0.42 to 9.08 0.399 C1 38 16 181 75 2.77 0.68 to 11.29 0.154 1.91 0.41 to 8.83 0.409 C2 21 15 95 68 2.65 0.63 to 11.15 0.183 2.00 0.41 to 9.65 0.388 D 22 30 45 62 6.38 1.50 to 27.17 0.012 3.52 0.71 to 17.50 0.124 E 16 43 18 49 11.18 2.47 to 50.54 0.002 4.45 0.83 to 23.88 0.082 aBased on National Readership Survey categories:
A: High managerial, administrative, or professional
B: Intermediate managerial, administrative, or professional
C1: Supervisory, clerical and junior managerial, administrative, or professional
C2: Skilled manual workers
D: Semi and unskilled manual workers
E: State pensioners, casual, or lowest grade workers, unemployed with state benefits only
Q1 This survey asks about complementary and alternative healthcare practitioners, for example (but not limited to) acupuncture, massage or yoga. This survey only asks about practitioners you have seen, not products you have bought in a shop or self-care at home. Practitioners include therapists and teachers. In the past 12 months have you seen a complementary or alternative healthcare practitioner for a health-related problem? A. Yes B. No C. Don’t know Please include: Any of the following whether they are NHS professionals or not (e.g. GP, physiotherapist, nurse). For example: A. Acupuncturist B. Chinese herbal medicine practitioner C. Herbalist D. Homeopath E. Hypnotherapist F. Meditation/mindfulness teacher G. Massage practitioner H. Chiropractor I. Osteopath J. Shiatsu practitioner K. Tai chi teacher L. Pilates teacher M. Yoga teacher N. Alexander technique teacher O. Aroma therapist P. Art therapist Q. Ayurvedic practitioner R. Craniosacral therapist S. Healer (e.g. spiritual healer) T. Music therapist U. Nutritional therapist V. Qi gong teacher W. Reflexologist X. Reiki practitioner Y. Anthroposophic medicine practitioner Z. Bach or other flower remedies practitioner AA. Biofeedback practitioner BB. Emotional freedom technique practitioner CC. Feldenkrais practitioner DD. Guided imagery practitioner EE. Traditional medicine practitioner FF. Trager practitioner GG. Naturopath HH. Unani medicine practitioner Please do not include: A. Breathing exercises B. Colour therapy C. Counselling D. Dance therapy E. Light therapy F. Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP) G. Special Diets (e.g. Vegetarianism) H. Play therapy I. Psychotherapy J. Prayer K. TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) L. Any treatment which did not involve a practitioner e.g. purchased from a shop or self-care ASK ONLY THOSE WHO CODE A AT Q1 Q2 What type of practitioner did you see? If you saw more than one, please tell us about the one you have seen the most times in the past 12 months. A. Acupuncturist B. Chinese herbal medicine practitioner C. Herbalist D. Homeopath E. Hypnotherapist F. Meditation/mindfulness teacher G. Massage practitioner H. Chiropractor I. Osteopath J. Shiatsu practitioner K. Tai chi teacher L. Pilates teacher M. Yoga teacher N. Alexander technique teacher O. Aroma therapist P. Art therapist Q. Ayurvedic practitioner R. Craniosacral therapist S. Healer (e.g. spiritual healer) T. Music therapist U. Nutritional therapist V. Qi gong teacher W. Reflexologist X. Reiki practitioner Y. Anthroposophic medicine practitioner Z. Bach or other flower remedies practitioner AA. Biofeedback practitioner BB. Emotional freedom technique practitioner CC. Feldenkrais practitioner DD. Guided imagery practitioner EE. Traditional medical practitioner FF. Trager practitioner GG. Naturopath HH. Unani medicine practitioner II. Other (please specify) JJ. Don’t know ASK ONLY THOSE WHO CODE A AT Q1 Q3 And how many times over the past 12 months did you see this complementary practitioner? A. About once in the past 12 months B. About two or three times in the past 12 months C. About four to six times in the past 12 months D. About once or twice per month E. About once or twice per week F. More than twice a week G. Don’t know ASK ONLY THOSE WHO CODE A AT Q1 Q4 What were you seeking help for from this complementary practitioner? You can give more than one reason. Musculoskeletal/pain A. Back pain B. Arthritis (osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis) C. Fibromyalgia D. Other musculoskeletal pain e.g. neck pain, shoulder pain, knee pain E. Headaches or migraines F. Other chronic pain Mental health G. Minor mental health symptoms e.g. minor depression, anxiety, stress, H. Serious mental health conditions e.g. major depression, schizophrenia, bipolar I. Sleep problems or insomnia J. Tiredness or fatigue K. Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) or ME L. Dementia Other M. Digestive problems e.g. irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn’s disease N. Preventative i.e. to stay well, prevent ill-health, boost immune system O. Women’s health e.g. period problems, pregnancy, labour, fertility, symptoms of the menopause P. Cancer Q. Allergies e.g. hayfever, allergy to dust or animals R. Skin problems or infections e.g. eczema, psoriasis S. Cardiovascular problems e.g. heart disease T. Respiratory problems e.g. cough, colds or flu, asthma, bronchitis, emphysema U. Infections V. Diabetes W. Urinary tract disorders e.g. cystitis, kidney stones, incontinence X. Eye problems Y. Ear problems Z. Nervous system problems e.g. stroke, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis AA. Immune system problems e.g. HIV, autoimmune disease BB. Other (Please specify) CC. Don’t know ASK ONLY THOSE WHO CODE A AT Q1 Q5 Which, if any of these, describes how you came to use this complementary treatment? A. My GP referred or recommended me B. Another NHS health professional (e.g. consultant) referred me C. My GP or another NHS health professional I was seeing provided the complementary treatment themselves D. Another complementary practitioner referred or recommended me E. I found them myself/ they were recommended by friend/family F. Other (please specify) G. Don’t know/can’t remember ASK ONLY THOSE WHO CODE A AT Q1 Q6 How was the treatment from this complementary practitioner paid for? Please select all that apply. A. The NHS paid for all or part of it B. I or my family/friend paid for all or part of it C. Another organisation such as a charity paid for all or part of it D. My health insurance paid for all or part of it E. I don’t know/ don’t remember F. Other (please specify) ASK ONLY THOSE WHO CODE B AT Q6 Q7 On average, how much did you pay for each visit to this complementary practitioner? A. Less than £10 B. Between £11 and £20 C. Between £21 and £30 D. Between £31 and £40 E. Between £41 and £50 F. Between £51 and £60 G. Between £60 and £100 H. Over £100 I. I don’t know/don’t remember J. Prefer not to say ASK ONLY THOSE WHO CODE B AT Q1 Q8 Please can you tell me why not? A. I wasn’t seeking help for any health problems/ I didn’t have any health problems B. It hasn’t occurred to me C. I don’t know enough about it D. I don’t have time E. I don’t think it would help me F. I don’t believe in it G. I’m afraid of the side effects/ how it interacts with other medicines H. I am concerned about the practitioner not being qualified or regulated I. My GP/other NHS health professional has advised against it J. It is not available on the NHS K. It is not available locally L. I can’t afford to pay for it M. Other, (please specify) N. Prefer not to say O. Don’t know ASK ALL Q9 If you had a health problem you thought complementary or alternative medicine could help with, which, if any, of the following statements would encourage you to use it? A. If it was free through the NHS or another organisation/ charity B. If it was partly paid for by the NHS or another organisation/ charity (I only had to pay a small amount) C. If the complementary practitioner was also an NHS health professional D. If the complementary practitioner was based in an NHS setting E. If the NHS regulated the complementary practitioner F. If my GP mentioned it might help G. If my GP referred me to the complementary practitioner H. If I thought it would enhance the care I was already receiving I. If I had to wait a long time for NHS care J. If my NHS treatment was not helping me K. None of the above L. Other (please specify) M. I would never use it N. Don’t know ASK THOSE WHO CODE B AT Q1. DO NOT INCLUDE THOSE WHO CODE M AT Q9 Q10 If you had a health problem you thought would improve from seeing a complementary or alternative practitioner, what is the most you would be willing to pay for each visit? · £0 · Less than £10 · Between £11 and £20 · Between £21 and £30 · Between £31 and £40 · Between £41 and £50 · Between £51 and £60 · Between £60 and £100 · Over £100 · I don’t know · Prefer not to say
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Complementary medicine use, views, and experiences: a national survey in England
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