Table 4.
Comparison of Younger vs. Older Adults Who Used Complementary/Alternative Medicine Services Following a Cancer Diagnosis (N = 836)
| Age <60 years*, n = 610, n(%) | Age ≥60 years*, n = 226, n(%) | p value† | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Did not use | Used, not helpful | Used, helpful | Did not use | Used, not helpful | Used, helpful | ||
| Acupuncture | 575 (94) | 7 (1) | 28 (5) | 220 (98) | 2 (0.9) | 3 (1) | 0.15 |
| Acupressure | 592 (97) | 2 (0.3) | 16 (3) | 224 (99) | 0 (0) | 1 (0.4) | 0.18 |
| Naturopathy | 521 (86) | 12 (2) | 76 (12) | 204 (91) | 4 (2) | 17 (8) | 0.25 |
| Homeopathy | 524 (86) | 17 (3) | 69 (11) | 213 (95) | 4 (2) | 8 (3) | 0.005 |
| Herbalism | 542 (89) | 6 (1) | 61 (10) | 210 (93) | 3 (1) | 12 (5) | 0.19 |
| Iridology | 589 (97) | 7 (1) | 13 (2) | 224 (99) | 0 (0) | 1 (0.4) | 0.13 |
| Aromatherapy | 529 (87) | 16 (3) | 65 (11) | 211 (94) | 3 (1) | 10 (4) | 0.01 |
| Massage therapy | 463 (76) | 4 (1) | 143 (23) | 191 (84) | 1 (0.4) | 34 (15) | 0.06 |
| Therapeutic touch | 574 (94) | 5 (1) | 31 (5) | 217 (97) | 0 (0) | 7 (3) | 0.31 |
| Energy healing | 557 (91) | 6 (1) | 47 (8) | 218 (97) | 1 (0.4) | 6 (3) | 0.009 |
| Spiritual healing | 524 (86) | 4 (1) | 78 (13) | 202 (90) | 1 (0.4) | 21 (9) | 0.49 |
| Prayer | 411 (67) | 14 (2) | 185 (30) | 155 (69) | 1 (0.4) | 69 (31) | 0.30 |
| Folk remedies | 601 (98) | 4 (1) | 5 (1) | 222 (99) | 2 (1) | 0 (0) | 0.58 |
| Dietary supplements | 405 (67) | 26 (4) | 175 (29) | 169 (75) | 6 (3) | 49 (22) | 0.10 |
*Age at time of cancer diagnosis; †chi square test for difference among proportions
Groups may not total exactly 100% because percentages above 1.0 are rounded