Point Prevalence of Complementary or Alternative Medicine Use among Children Attending a Tertiary Care Hospital

Background: Complementary or alternative medicine (CAM) describes products/practices outside conventional medical care. CAM may be used to support or replace conventional/prescribed therapies. The aim of this study was to determine patterns of CAM use among children attending a tertiary care hospital in New Zealand (NZ) and measure parental opinion about CAM. Methods: Prospective survey-based study among children and their parents attending inpatient and outpatient clinical areas. Surveys collected demographic and health variables, current CAM use, and parental opinions on CAM. Results: Of the 236 children participating: 41% female, mean age 6.8 years (SD5), 76 (32%) with a chronic illness. CAM was used by 132 (56%) children, the most common being: oral supplements, body manipulation methods, or holistic practices. CAM use was associated with lower child health rating (p = 0.001), Maori ethnicity (p = 0.03), parent education level (p = 0.002), and family member CAM use (p < 0.001). Opinion survey results revealed CAM use was most strongly related to doctors recommending CAM, information on CAM, and CAM cost. There was a 31% CAM disclosure rate to the child's medical team. Conclusions: This study highlights cultural differences in CAM use not previously reported among children in NZ. Parental opinion regarding CAM influences use for their child and disclosure rates.

Automated summary

This study investigated the use of complementary or alternative medicine (CAM) among children in a tertiary care hospital in New Zealand. It found that 56% of the children used CAM, with oral supplements, body manipulation methods, and holistic practices being the most common. CAM use was associated with lower child health rating, Maori ethnicity, parent education level, and family member CAM use. The study also revealed that parental opinion and doctor recommendation were important factors influencing CAM use, and only 31% of the CAM use was disclosed to the child's medical team.