Table 1.
Comparison of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) Users and Nonusersa Matched on Age Group, Gender, Allowed Expenditures in Prior Year, and Disease Burden in Study Year
| CAM users (n = 26,466) | CAM nonusers (n = 13,025) | p-value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average age (SD) | 45.2 (10.5) | 45.4 (10.6) | 0.14 |
| Average allowed expenditures in prior year (SD) | $2,494 (6351) | $2,454 (6114) | 0.55 |
| Percent female | 66.6% | 66.7% | 0.80 |
| Disease burden in study year | |||
| Low | 8.3% | 8.1% | 0.72 |
| Moderate | 58.3 | 58.7 | |
| High | 33.4 | 33.2 | |
| County population | |||
| <100,000 | 11.9 | 8.4 | <0.001 |
| 100,000–400,000 | 15.2 | 11.0 | |
| >400,000 | 72.9 | 80.6 | |
| Insurance company | |||
| A | 90.8 | 92.6 | <0.001 |
| B | 9.2 | 7.4 | |
a
CAM users, those with at least one visit to a CAM provider related to index condition during study year; nonusers, no visit to a CAM provider for any reason during study year.
SD, standard deviation.