Examining CAM use disclosure using the Behavioral Model of Health Services Use

To improve understanding of factors that may influence disclosure of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use in the U.S.

Cross-sectional survey.

Data are from the 2001 Health Care Quality Survey (HCQS), a nationally representative study of adults aged 18 and older living in the continental United States. Using the Behavioral Model of Health Services Use, we conducted multivariate logistic regressions to identify factors associated with disclosing CAM use among the sub-sample of recent CAM users (n=1995).

Disclosure of CAM use.

Most CAM users (71.0%) disclosed their use of CAM to their doctors. Contextual, individual, and health behavior factors were associated with CAM use disclosure. Of particular interest, disclosure was significantly more likely among those who perceived high quality relationships with their providers (AOR=1.59, CI: 1.01, 2.49) and among those who had a regular source of medical care (AOR=1.54, CI: 1.03, 2.29). The odds of disclosure were also higher among those who used practitioner-provided CAM, with (AOR=2.02, CI: 1.34, 3.06) or without (AOR=1.52, CI: 1.05, 2.20) concurrent herbal medicine use, compared to those who used herbal medicines only.

The Behavioral Model of Health Services Use is a useful framework for examining factors that may influence disclosure of CAM use. Further research should examine these relationships using more comprehensive measures.