- 1Department
of International Health, School for Public Health and Primary Care
(CAPHRI), Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht
University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
Abstract
BACKGROUND:
Pediatric
use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is popular in
Europe, and utilization may be even more prevalent in chronically ill
children/adolescents. This study's aim is to assess CAM use among
adolescents with chronic conditions.
METHODS:
Data
on drug utilization (past 4 weeks) and consultation with CAM providers
(past year) were collected using a self-administered questionnaire from
4,677 adolescents from the German GINIplus/LISAplus birth cohorts. All
reported drugs were classified into therapeutic categories (conventional
drugs, homeopathy, herbal
drugs, etc.). Additionally, participants were asked to list any chronic
diseases (that were parent-reported, physician-verified diagnoses such
as allergies, atopic dermatitis, asthma, or other chronic diseases) that
they had had over the previous 5 years.
RESULTS:
Compared
with the total sample, drug utilization in general (60.1% vs. 41.1%),
homeopathy use (11.1% vs. 8.1%), and consultation with CAM providers
(16.9% vs. 10.9%) was significantly more prevalent among chronically ill
adolescents. However, chronically ill adolescents used relatively
(proportion of the defined therapeutic category among all drugs used)
more conventional drugs than healthy adolescents.
CONCLUSION:
Compared
with healthy adolescents, CAM use is more prevalent among adolescents
with chronic conditions. Nevertheless, CAM may predominantly be used as a
complementary treatment option rather than substituting conventional
drugs.
© 2016 S. Karger GmbH, Freiburg.
