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Prevalence of visits to massage therapists by the general population: a systematic review
Philip E Harris1, Katy L Cooper2, Clare Relton2
1Cardiff School of Health Sciences, Cardiff Metropolitan University, PO Box 377, Western Avenue, Cardiff CF5 2YB, UK.
Objective:
To systematically review 12-month prevalence of visits to massage therapists by representative samples of the general population across countries.
Methods:
Surveys reporting estimates of overall CAM use were included. Studies were identified via database searches. Study quality was assessed using a six-item tool.
Results:
Twenty-two surveys across six countries were included. Estimates for 12-month prevalence of visits to massage therapists by adults ranged from 0.4% to 20% and the median was 5.5%. Estimates for children were 0.3%-3.8% (median 0.7%), while estimates for older adults were 1.5%-16.2% (median 5.2%). 16 surveys (73%) met at least four of six quality criteria.
Conclusions:
This review summarises 12-month prevalence of visits to massage therapists in six countries (USA, UK, Canada, Australia, Singapore and South Korea). A small but significant percentage of these general populations visit massage therapists each year.
