Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34836900›Full record

ArticleBMJ open2021

Therapy-dependent inconsistencies in self-reported use of complementary and alternative medicine in the general population: findings from a longitudinal study.

Heidi Amalie Rosendahl Jensen, Ola Ekholm

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ open, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors.

Heidi Amalie Rosendahl JensenNational Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark.ORCID 0000-0001-7171-7429
Ola EkholmNational Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark oek@sdu.dk.ORCID 0000-0002-5563-7098

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveInformation on the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in the general population is often collected by means of surveys, causing the reliability of data to rely on the memory accuracy of the respondent. The objective of this study was to examine the consistency in self-reported CAM use using data from two survey waves 4 years apart.

designLongitudinal study. SETTING/

participantsData were obtained from the Danish Health and Morbidity Surveys. A nationally representative subsample of the individuals invited in 2013 was reinvited in 2017. In all, 2297 individuals (≥16 years) completed the self-administered questionnaire in both waves, including questions on for example, CAM use.

main outcome measuresThe use of six different CAM therapies (acupuncture; craniosacral therapy; faith healing and/or clairvoyance; nutritional counselling; massage; osteopathy or other manipulative therapies; reflexology) was assessed by the response categories 'Yes, within the past 12 months', 'Yes, but previously than within the past 12 months' and 'No'. For each CAM therapy, an inconsistent response was defined as either the response combination (1) 'Yes, within the past 12 months' in 2013 and 'No' in 2017, or (2) 'Yes, within the past 12 months' or 'Yes, but previously than within the past 12 months' in 2013 and 'No' in 2017.

resultsThe inconsistency percentages varied across CAM therapies. The highest levels of inconsistency for CAM use within the past 12 months were observed for nutritional counselling (64.9 %) and faith healing and/or clairvoyance (36.4 %). The lowest proportion of inconsistent responses was observed for acupuncture (18.3%). Overall, the same pattern was observed for lifetime CAM use.

conclusionsThe results highlight the difficulty in obtaining reliable prevalence estimates on the use of CAM in the general population. Future studies should take these findings into account when interpreting similar analyses.

Indexed as

Complementary TherapiesHumansLongitudinal StudiesReproducibility of ResultsSelf ReportSurveys and Questionnairescomplementary medicineepidemiologypublic health

Identifiers

PMID34836900
PMCPMC8628339

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