ArticlePloS one2015
Limited Health Knowledge as a Reason for Non-Use of Four Common Complementary Health Practices.
Article in PloS one, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
17 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 37 citations in OpenAlex.
- Potential factors that influence usage of complementary and alternative medicine worldwide: a systematic review.BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2020Pooled it
- Identifying Treatment Effect Modifiers in the STarT Back Trial: A Secondary Analysis.The journal of pain · 2017Trial
- Social and cultural determinants of traditional, complementary and integrative medicine (TCIM) use in primary care: the role of migration, health literacy, and religious orientation.BMC public health · 2026Article
- A review, evaluation and content mapping study of Australian patient-facing online pancreatobiliary cancer resources.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2025Review
- Soothe the savage beast: Patient perceptions of the benefits of music therapy in an inpatient rehabilitation facility.PM & R : the journal of injury, function, and rehabilitation · 2023Article
- Association between ethnicity and health knowledge among the floating population in China.Cost effectiveness and resource allocation : C/E · 2022Article
- Care Outcomes for Chiropractic Outpatient Veterans (COCOV): a qualitative study with veteran stakeholders from a pilot trial of multimodal chiropractic care.Pilot and feasibility studies · 2022Article
- Health literacy and health outcomes in patients with low back pain: a scoping review.BMC medical informatics and decision making · 2021Article
- A pilot study of the acceptability, feasibility and safety of yoga for chronic pain in sickle cell disease.Complementary therapies in medicine · 2021Article
- The Intersection of Dissemination Research and Acupuncture: Applications for Chronic Low Back Pain.Global advances in health and medicine · 2021Article
- Curricular Development and Implementation of a Longitudinal Integrative Medicine Education Experience for Trainees and Health-Care Professionals at an Academic Medical Center.Global advances in health and medicine · 2019Article
- Article
- Barriers to Acupuncture Use Among Breast Cancer Survivors: A Cross-Sectional Analysis.Integrative cancer therapies · 2018Article
- Use and perceived effectiveness of complementary health approaches in children.Paediatrics & child health · 2018Article
- Prevalence and patterns of use of mantra, mindfulness and spiritual meditation among adults in the United States.BMC complementary and alternative medicine · 2017Article
- Integrative Medicine and Health Disparities.Global advances in health and medicine · 2016Article
- Qualitative Assessment CIH Institutions' Engagement With Underserved Communities to Enhance Healthcare Access and Utilization.Global advances in integrative medicine and healthArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundComplementary health practices are an important element of health/healthcare seeking behavior among adults in the United States. Reasons for use include medical need, prevention and wellness promotion, and cultural relevance. Survey studies published over the past several decades have provided important information on the use of complementary health practices, such as acupuncture and yoga. A review of the literature, however, reveals an absence of studies looking specifically at who does not use these approaches, and why not.
methodsTo explore this issue two samples were created using data from the 2007 National Health Interview Survey Complementary and Alternative Medicine supplement. Of particular interest was the relationship between lack of health knowledge, as a reason for non-use, and key independent variables. The first sample was comprised of individuals who had never used any of four common complementary health practices -- acupuncture, chiropractic, natural products, and yoga. The second was a subset of those same non-users who had also reported low back pain, the most frequently cited health concern related to use of complementary therapies.
resultsA hypothesized association between lack of health knowledge, lower educational attainment, and other key socioeconomic indicators was supported in the findings. Although it was hypothesized that low back pain would be associated with greater information seeking, regardless of level of education, that hypothesis was not supported.
conclusionLack of knowledge was found to affect utilization of common complementary health practices, regardless of the potentially motivating presence of back pain. Disparities in the utilization of complementary medicine, related to educational attainment and other socioeconomic factors, may negatively affect quality of care for many Americans. Creative approaches are needed to help reduce inequities in understanding and improve access to care for underserved populations.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.