• Aust Fam Physician · Jan 2017

    Patterns of complementary and alternative medicine use and health literacy in general practice patients in urban and regional Australia.

    • Dora M von Conrady and Andrew Bonney.
    • Aust Fam Physician. 2017 Jan 1; 46 (5): 316-320.

    BackgroundThe majority of Australians use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Despite concerns about safety, patterns of health literacy and CAM use in Australian general practice are unknown.MethodsPre-existing questionnaires assessing health literacy and CAM use (HLQ and I-CAM-Q) were distributed by eight practices across four Australian states to 800 patients aged 18 years and older for self-completion. Regression modelling and cluster analysis were applied to the data.ResultsThe response rate was 47% (n = 374), the mean age was 53 years and 68% of participants were female. Two-thirds of participants used some form of CAM in the previous 12 months, and 60% believed CAM aided wellbeing. There were significant associations between cluster membership, education, sex and CAM use.DiscussionOur findings suggest CAM use is a complex phenomenon, associated with gender and education. We demonstrated a cluster of female patients with high CAM use and lower health literacy warranting further research.

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