The University of Southampton
University of Southampton Institutional Repository

A comparison of the characteristics of acupuncture-preferred consumers and non-acupuncture preferred consumers: a secondary analysis of NHIS 2012 data

A comparison of the characteristics of acupuncture-preferred consumers and non-acupuncture preferred consumers: a secondary analysis of NHIS 2012 data
A comparison of the characteristics of acupuncture-preferred consumers and non-acupuncture preferred consumers: a secondary analysis of NHIS 2012 data
Objectives: To determine whether acupuncture use, sociodemographic characteristics, and existing health conditions differ between acupuncture-preferred consumers (i.e., those who deem acupuncture to be one of the three most important complementary and alternative medicine [CAM] modalities used) and non–acupuncture-preferred consumers who used acupuncture in the past 12 months

Methods: This is a secondary analysis of the National Health Interview Survey Sample Adult File and Adult Alternative Medicine datasets collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention during 2012. The sample was drawn from the noninstitutionalized civilian population of the United States. The datasets yielded 34,525 respondents aged 18 years and older. Measures included in the analysis were acupuncture use in the past 12 months, sociodemographic characteristics, and existing health conditions. Analyses were performed by using Stata software, version 9.0 (Stata Corp., College Station, TX).

Results: Of the 10,158 adults who responded to the question regarding the “three most important” CAM modalities used, 572 (5.6%) had used acupuncture in the past 12 months. Of these, 456 (79.7%) chose acupuncture as one of the top three CAM modalities most important to their health. Acupuncture-preferred consumers reported significantly more visits to acupuncturists (7.46 versus 3.99 visits; p?<?0.001), as well as higher out-of-pocket costs ($342.8 versus $246.4; p?<?0.001), compared with non–acupuncture-preferred consumers. The logistic regression model revealed that with every additional CAM modality used, the likelihood of deeming acupuncture as one of the three CAM modalities most important to one's health decreased by 39% (odds ratio, 0.61; 95% confidence interval, 0.52–0.71; p?<?0.001). Health conditions were not statistically significant predictors.

Conclusions: A consumer's preference for acupuncture appeared not to be driven by health conditions but rather was related to sociodemographic factors. This suggests that health education regarding acupuncture may need to be tailored to certain consumer groups, such as those residing in the South, and could provide more information on the comparative effectiveness of acupuncture for various health conditions.
1075-5535
315-322
Zhang, Y.
f812509d-2a3c-41aa-8ba1-68210952d5a6
Leach, M.J.
da157339-cf3a-4e5d-8769-fc6320272208
Bishop, F.L.
1f5429c5-325f-4ac4-aae3-6ba85d079928
Leung, B.
ca16d9cb-a6e0-4db3-82da-498ce0c353dd
Zhang, Y.
f812509d-2a3c-41aa-8ba1-68210952d5a6
Leach, M.J.
da157339-cf3a-4e5d-8769-fc6320272208
Bishop, F.L.
1f5429c5-325f-4ac4-aae3-6ba85d079928
Leung, B.
ca16d9cb-a6e0-4db3-82da-498ce0c353dd

Zhang, Y., Leach, M.J., Bishop, F.L. and Leung, B. (2016) A comparison of the characteristics of acupuncture-preferred consumers and non-acupuncture preferred consumers: a secondary analysis of NHIS 2012 data. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 22 (4), 315-322. (doi:10.1089/acm.2015.0244). (PMID:27003512)

Record type: Article

Abstract

Objectives: To determine whether acupuncture use, sociodemographic characteristics, and existing health conditions differ between acupuncture-preferred consumers (i.e., those who deem acupuncture to be one of the three most important complementary and alternative medicine [CAM] modalities used) and non–acupuncture-preferred consumers who used acupuncture in the past 12 months

Methods: This is a secondary analysis of the National Health Interview Survey Sample Adult File and Adult Alternative Medicine datasets collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention during 2012. The sample was drawn from the noninstitutionalized civilian population of the United States. The datasets yielded 34,525 respondents aged 18 years and older. Measures included in the analysis were acupuncture use in the past 12 months, sociodemographic characteristics, and existing health conditions. Analyses were performed by using Stata software, version 9.0 (Stata Corp., College Station, TX).

Results: Of the 10,158 adults who responded to the question regarding the “three most important” CAM modalities used, 572 (5.6%) had used acupuncture in the past 12 months. Of these, 456 (79.7%) chose acupuncture as one of the top three CAM modalities most important to their health. Acupuncture-preferred consumers reported significantly more visits to acupuncturists (7.46 versus 3.99 visits; p?<?0.001), as well as higher out-of-pocket costs ($342.8 versus $246.4; p?<?0.001), compared with non–acupuncture-preferred consumers. The logistic regression model revealed that with every additional CAM modality used, the likelihood of deeming acupuncture as one of the three CAM modalities most important to one's health decreased by 39% (odds ratio, 0.61; 95% confidence interval, 0.52–0.71; p?<?0.001). Health conditions were not statistically significant predictors.

Conclusions: A consumer's preference for acupuncture appeared not to be driven by health conditions but rather was related to sociodemographic factors. This suggests that health education regarding acupuncture may need to be tailored to certain consumer groups, such as those residing in the South, and could provide more information on the comparative effectiveness of acupuncture for various health conditions.

This record has no associated files available for download.

More information

Accepted/In Press date: 22 February 2016
e-pub ahead of print date: 22 March 2016
Published date: 5 April 2016

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 391099
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/391099
ISSN: 1075-5535
PURE UUID: 5625b4ac-3bde-4e07-a00e-1f27801767a3
ORCID for F.L. Bishop: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-8737-6662

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 08 Apr 2016 09:28
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 03:15

Export record

Altmetrics

Contributors

Author: Y. Zhang
Author: M.J. Leach
Author: F.L. Bishop ORCID iD
Author: B. Leung

Download statistics

Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.

View more statistics

Atom RSS 1.0 RSS 2.0

Contact ePrints Soton: eprints@soton.ac.uk

ePrints Soton supports OAI 2.0 with a base URL of http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/cgi/oai2

This repository has been built using EPrints software, developed at the University of Southampton, but available to everyone to use.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we will assume that you are happy to receive cookies on the University of Southampton website.

×