Health-related self-perceptions over time and provider-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) use in people with inflammatory bowel disease or arthritis
Highlights
- •
- Self-perceptions of CAM users with chronic inflammatory disease were examined.
- •
- Healthy lifestyle self-perceptions prospectively predicted CAM use in two samples.
- •
- Being resilient predicted CAM use only in the IBD group.
- •
- Self-perceptions about handling stress predicted CAM use only in the arthritis group.
- •
- Findings have implications for maximizing the health-promoting aspects of CAM use.
Summary
Objectives
To
prospectively investigate how health-related self-perceptions are
associated with use of provider-based CAM in two chronic inflammatory
diseases, arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
Design and setting
A
prospective online survey was administered to convenience samples of
individuals with arthritis or inflammatory bowel disease, and a
follow-up survey completed 6 months later. Participants were recruited
via online ads, through national organizations, and support groups.
Main outcome measures
Surveys
included measures of demographics, use of provider-delivered CAM,
disease-related factors, self-perceptions of having a healthy lifestyle
and being able to handle stress, and trait resilience.
Results
325
people (170 with arthritis and 155 with IBD) completed the initial and
follow-up surveys. Rates of CAM use were 43.2% and 45.9% for the
arthritis and IBD groups, respectively. T-tests revealed
significant differences on healthy lifestyle self-perceptions and trait
resilience for both illness groups. Differences in self-perceptions
about handling stress were only significant in the IBD group.
Multivariate logistic regression controlling for demographics and
health-related variables revealed that seeing oneself as having a
healthy lifestyle predicted CAM use in both illness groups. Being
resilient predicted CAM use only in the IBD group, and self-perceptions
about handling stress predicted CAM use only in the arthritis group.
Conclusions
This
study provides insights into how health-related self-perceptions are
prospectively linked to provider-based CAM use in patients with chronic
inflammatory disease. This information is important for both health-care
practitioners and researchers as it has implications for maximizing the
health-promoting aspects of CAM use and understanding CAM adherence.
Keywords
- Inflammatory bowel disease;
- Arthritis;
- Self-perceptions;
- Provider-based CAM;
- Lifestyle;
- Resilience;
- Personality
- Tel.:
+1 819 822 9600.
Copyright © 2014 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
