• Tiffany F Ho, Anastasia Rowland-Seymour, Eitan S Frankel, Susan Q Li, and Jun J Mao.
• From the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore (TFH); Division of Internal Medicine (ARS), Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore; and Department of Family Medicine and Community Health (ESF, SQL, JJM), Perelman School of Medicine at University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.
• J Am Board Fam Med. 2014 Jul 1; 27 (4): 465-73.

BackgroundMore people are supplementing conventional medicine with complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), but studies have not compared CAM use between baby boomers (adults born from 1946 to 1964) and the so-called silent generation (born from 1925 to 1945).MethodsThis study compares CAM usage between baby boomers (n = 7734) and the silent generation (n = 4682) through secondary analyses of the 2007 National Health Interview Survey data. The analysis also compares chronic disease and pain status. Multivariate logistic regression models were developed to identify generational differences.ResultsAlthough the silent generation reported twice as many chronic disease (51.3% vs 26.1%; P < .001) and more painful conditions (56.1% vs 52.2%; P < .001), baby boomers were more likely to use CAM within the past year (43.1% vs 35.4%; P < .001). Adjusting for covariates, baby boomers with heart disease, cancer, and diabetes were more likely to use CAM than adults from the silent generation. Chronic pain status was independently associated with greater CAM use (adjusted odds ratio, 2.26; 95% confidence interval, 2.03-2.52).ConclusionsBaby boomers reported significantly higher rates of CAM use than the silent generation for both chronic diseases and painful conditions. Family physicians caring for the aging population must use patient-centered communication about the risks/benefits of CAM, which is necessary to promote effective coping with chronic illnesses and pain.© Copyright 2014 by the American Board of Family Medicine.

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