HerbalEGram: Volume 6, Number 2, February 2009
Government Survey Finds Over One-Third
of American Adults Use CAM
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Approximately 38% of adults and 12% of children in the United States use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), according to findings released in December of 2008 from the 2007 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS).1
“The 2007 NHIS provides the most current, comprehensive, and reliable source of information on Americans’ use of CAM,” said Josephine Briggs, MD, director of the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).2 “These statistics confirm that CAM practices are a frequently used component of Americans’ healthcare regimens and reinforce the need for rigorous research to study the safety and effectiveness of these therapies.”
The NHIS is an annual survey of health and illness-related experiences of Americans conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics. The survey questioned Americans about their use of CAM only once previously, in 2002, and that survey did not include data on CAM use by children.
According to the survey’s results, the most commonly used CAM therapy by both American adults (17.7%) and children (3.9%) are nonvitamin, nonmineral natural products.1 Of such products, the most commonly used by adults within the previous 30 days were fish oil/omega-3 supplements (37.4%), glucosamine (19.9%), echinacea (19.8%, Echinacea spp.), flaxseed oil and pills (15.9%, Linum usitatissimum), and ginseng (14.1%, Panax spp.). The most commonly used natural products by children within the previous 30 days were echinacea (37.2%), fish oil/omega-3 supplements (30.5%), combination herb pills (17.9%), and flaxseed oil and pills (16.7%). Children whose parents used nonvitamin, nonmineral natural products were more than twice as likely to use these products as children whose parents did not use natural products.
Comparisons between the 2007 NHIS and 2002 NHIS results indicate that overall CAM use by adults in the United States has remained relatively stable.2 The 2002 NHIS estimated that 36% of American adults had used at least one type of CAM (excluding prayer and multivitamins) in the past 12 months, based on the survey’s results. Use of several specific CAM therapies has increased over the 5-year period, including meditation, massage, yoga, acupuncture, naturopathy, and deep breathing exercises.1
According to the 2007 NHIS results, adults used CAM most often to treat musculoskeletal conditions such as back, neck, or joint pain. Children used CAM most often to treat musculoskeletal problems, head or chest colds, anxiety or stress, or attention deficit disorders. In adults, CAM use was more prevalent among women, adults aged 30-69, adults with higher levels of education and income, and those who had been hospitalized within the previous year. CAM use was more common among children aged 12-17, among children whose parents had higher levels of education and income, and among those who had visited the doctor frequently within the previous year. White children were twice as likely as black children to use CAM, and non-Hispanic children were 1.5 times as likely to use CAM as Hispanic children.
The report further noted that adults were more likely to use CAM when unable to afford conventional medical treatment options and when concerns over cost delayed the receipt of conventional medical care. According to an article published in January by the Associated Press, early signs indicate that the current economic climate within the United States may already be impacting the sales of herbal medicines.3 Data and information gathered by the Associated Press from market watchers and retailers show that climbing sales of herbal medicines within the past few months seem to have paralleled the declining economy.
The 2007 NHIS survey results are based on data taken from interviews of 23,393 American adults regarding their personal use of CAM and 9,417 adults who spoke on behalf of a child in their household regarding the child’s use of CAM.1 Subsequent reports are expected to address issues such as the costs of CAM use and the reasons individuals choose to use or not use CAM.
According to Maryellen Molyneaux, president of the Natural Marketing Institute (NMI), the 2008 Health and Wellness Trends Database (HWTD) survey of NMI found statistics similar to the 2007 NHIS survey. The 2008 HWTD survey, which was based on responses of nearly 6,000 adults, likewise found that 36-38% of American adults use CAM and that financial reasons similar to those noted in the 2007 NHIS survey seem to encourage CAM use. “In general, consumers are open to CAM methods; many are using and more are seeking additional knowledge about them,” said Molyneaux (e-mail, January 26, 2009). “The market acceptance of and importance of herbal remedies has climbed steadily but slowly and can be directly correlated to the number who use alternative medicine.”
—Courtney Cavaliere
References
1. Barnes PM, Bloom B, Nahin RL. Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use Among Adults and Children: United States, 2007. National Health Statistics Reports, Number 12; December 10, 2008.
2. According to a new government survey, 38 percent of adults and 12 percent of children use complementary and alternative medicine [press release]. Bethesda, MD: National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine; December 10, 2008.
3. Tanner L. With economy sour, consumers sweet on herbal meds. Associated Press. January 14, 2009. Available at: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iFL2RXnJdavDgdm-5XucBMMkmP7AD95MECA80. Accessed January 30, 2009.
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