It Works for Me: Pseudotherapy Use is Associated With Trust in Their Efficacy Rather Than Belief in Their Scientific Validity

Objectives: To identify how perceptions, attitudes, and beliefs towards pseudotherapies, health, medicine, and the public health system influence the pseudotherapy use in Spain.Methods: We carried out a cross-sectional study using the Survey of Social Perception of Science and Technology-2018 (5,200 interviews). Dependent variable: ever use of pseudotherapies. Covariables: attitude towards medicine, health and public health system; perceived health; assessment of the scientific character of homeopathy/acupuncture. The association was estimated using prevalence ratios obtained by Poisson regression models. The model was adjusted for age and socioeconomic variables.Results: Pseudotherapy use was higher in women (24.9%) than in men (14.2%) (p < 0.001). The probability of use in men (p < 0.001) and women (p < 0.001) increases with the belief in pseudotherapies' usefulness. Among men, a proactive attitude (reference: passive) towards medicine and health (RP:1.3), and a negative (reference: positive) assessment of the quality of the public health system increased use-probability (RP:1.2). For women, poor health perceived (referencie: good) increased likelihood of use (RP:1.2).Conclusion: Pseudotherapy use in Spain was associated with confidence in its usefulness irrespective of users' assessment of its scientific validity.

Automated summary

Pseudotherapy use in Spain is associated with confidence in its effectiveness, regardless of users' assessment of its scientific validity. The probability of pseudotherapy use is higher in women compared to men, and attitudes towards medicine, health, and the public health system also influence the use of pseudotherapies.