Table 3.
Characteristics of Patients that Participants have Considered the Digestive System (n = 348) or Endocrine System (n = 204) as an Additional Factor to Consider in Management of the Patient's Health
| All participants (n = 854) | Digestive system (n = 348) | V | p | IRRa | 95%CI | p | Endocrine system (n = 203) | V | p | IRR | 95%CI | p | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sex | |||||||||||||
| Female | 618 (72.6) | 145 (28.7) | .0401 | .243 | – | – | – | 160 (80.0) | .0904 | .009 | – | – | – |
| Male | 233 (27.4) | 86 (25.1) | – | – | – | 40 (20.0) | – | – | – | ||||
| Age category | |||||||||||||
| Young child (0–4 years) | 21 (2.5) | 10 (3.0) | .0531 | .673 | – | – | – | 2 (1.0) | .1022 | .069 | – | – | – |
| Child (5–11 years) | 21 (2.5) | 8 (2.4) | – | – | – | 1 (0.5) | – | – | – | ||||
| Adolescent (12-17 years) | 10 (1.2) | 2 (0.6) | – | – | – | 2 (1.0) | – | – | – | ||||
| Working age (18–65 years) | 678 (81.2) | 275 (81.9) | – | – | – | 170 (87.2) | – | – | – | ||||
| Elderly (65 years and older) | 1 (2.8) | 41 (12.2) | – | – | – | 20 (10.3) | – | – | – | ||||
| Visit | |||||||||||||
| First | 281 (33.0) | 104 (33.1) | .0519 | .130 | – | – | – | 70 (34.7) | .0185 | .590 | – | – | – |
| Follow up | 571 (67.0) | 241 (66.9) | – | – | – | 132 (65.4) | – | – | – | ||||
| Chronicity | – | – | – | – | – | – | |||||||
| Acute | 165 (19.5) | 50 (14.5) | .1149 | .004 | – | – | – | 26 (13.1) | .0900 | .033 | – | – | – |
| Chronic | 633 (75.0) | 279 (80.9) | – | – | – | 160 (80.8) | – | – | – | ||||
| Unsure | 46 (5.5) | 16 (4.6) | – | – | – | 12 (6.1) | – | – | – | ||||
| Primary reason for visit | |||||||||||||
| Gastrointestinal condition | 104 (12.1) | 35 (10.1) | .0538 | .116 | – | – | – | 21 (10.3) | .0313 | .360 | – | – | – |
| Respiratory condition | 43 (5.0) | 18 (5.2) | .0052 | .879 | – | – | – | 3 (1.5) | .0908 | .008 | 0.3 | 0.1–0.9 | .035 |
| Cardiovascular condition | 36 (4.2) | 14 (4.0) | .0079 | .816 | – | – | – | 15 (7.4) | .0882 | .010 | 4.0 | 2.0–8.3 | <.001 |
| Endocrine condition | 40 (4.7) | 25 (7.2) | .0981 | .004 | 2.3 | 1.1–4.5 | .020 | 16 (7.9) | .0845 | .014 | – | – | – |
| Female reproductive condition | 51 (5.9) | 20 (5.8) | .0079 | .818 | – | – | – | 25 (12.3) | .1495 | <.001 | 3.7 | 2.0–6.9 | <.001 |
| Musculoskeletal condition | 158 (18.4) | 47 (13.5) | .1067 | .002 | – | – | – | 21 (10.3) | .1173 | .001 | – | – | – |
| Skin condition | 44 (5.1) | 26 (7.5) | .0870 | .011 | 2.1 | 1.1–5.0 | .022 | 8 (3.9) | .0306 | .371 | – | – | – |
| Urogenital condition | 21 (2.4) | 6 (1.7) | .0394 | .250 | – | – | – | 2 (1.0) | .0531 | .120 | – | – | – |
| Autoimmune condition | 31 (3.6) | 19 (5.5) | .0811 | .018 | 2.3 | 1.0–5.0 | .035 | 9 (4.4) | .0240 | .483 | – | – | – |
| Cancer-related condition | 39 (4.5) | 21 (6.0) | .0583 | .088 | – | – | – | 11 (5.4) | .0228 | .505 | – | – | – |
| Fertility condition | 43 (5.0) | 13 (3.7) | .0493 | .150 | – | – | – | 21 (10.3) | .1356 | <.001 | 3.3 | 1.7–6.5 | .001 |
| Ageing or cognition condition | 10 (1.2) | 5 (1.5) | .0205 | .549 | – | – | – | 0 (0.0) | .0608 | .076 | – | – | – |
| Infectious condition | 7 (0.8) | 3 (0.9) | .0039 | .909 | – | – | – | 2 (1.0) | .0103 | .764 | – | – | – |
| Wellness and prevention | 57 (6.6) | 25 (7.2) | .0169 | .621 | – | – | – | 9 (4.4) | .0501 | .143 | – | – | – |
| Weight management | 34 (4.0) | 16 (4.6) | .0261 | .445 | – | – | – | 12 (5.9) | .0551 | .107 | – | – | – |
| Mental health condition | 93 (10.8) | 41 (11.8) | .0237 | .488 | – | – | – | 15 (7.4) | .0628 | .067 | – | – | – |
| Neurological condition | 43 (5.0) | 14 (4.0) | .0384 | .262 | – | – | – | 13 (6.4) | .0350 | .307 | – | – | – |
| Health care team | |||||||||||||
| General practitioner | 369 (43.2) | 167 (48.0) | .0800 | .019 | – | – | – | 88 (43.4) | .0016 | .963 | – | – | – |
| Specialist doctor | 237 (27.8) | 118 (33.9) | .1140 | .001 | 1.5 | 1.1–2.1 | .016 | 65 (32.0) | .0532 | .120 | – | – | – |
| Allied health practitioner | 106 (12.7) | 50 (14.4) | .0492 | .151 | – | – | – | 26 (12.8) | .0067 | .845 | – | – | – |
| Other complementary medicine practitioner | 93 (10.9) | 40 (11.5) | .0161 | .638 | – | – | – | 26 (12.8) | .0344 | .315 | – | – | – |
| No other health practitioner | 282 (33.0) | 104 (29.9) | .0553 | .106 | – | – | – | 60 (29.6) | .0411 | .229 | – | – | – |
| Specific additional systems considered | |||||||||||||
| Gastrointestinal system | 348 (40.8) | 101 (49.8) | .1023 | .003 | 1.5 | 1.1–2.2 | .019 | ||||||
| Respiratory system | 71 (7.3) | 41 (11.8) | .1042 | .002 | – | – | – | 18 (8.9) | .0112 | .744 | – | – | – |
| Cardiovascular system | 108 (12.7) | 57 (16.4) | .0931 | .006 | 1.7 | 1.1–2.6 | .015 | 31 (15.3) | .0441 | .198 | – | – | – |
| Endocrine system | 203 (23.8) | 101 (29.0) | .1023 | .003 | – | – | – | ||||||
| Female reproductive system | 134 (15.7) | 70 (20.1) | .1009 | .003 | 1.6 | 1.1–2.4 | .020 | 60 (29.6) | .2129 | <.001 | 2.9 | 1.9–4.4 | <.001 |
| Musculoskeletal system | 151 (17.7) | 67 (19.3) | .0342 | .318 | – | – | – | 34 (16.8) | .0137 | .690 | – | – | – |
| Integumentary system | 79 (9.3) | 49 (14.1) | .1382 | <.001 | 2.0 | 1.2–3.3 | .008 | 28 (13.8) | .0875 | .011 | – | – | – |
| Urogenital system | 41 (4.8) | 22 (6.3) | .0590 | .085 | – | – | – | 14 (6.9) | .0547 | .110 | – | – | – |
| Autoimmune condition | 74 (8.7) | 50 (14.4) | .1681 | <.001 | 2.7 | 1.6–4.6 | <.001 | 29 (14.3) | .1116 | .001 | 2.4 | 1.4–4.2 | .002 |
| Cancer | 29 (3.4) | 15 (4.3) | .0419 | .221 | – | – | – | 9 (4.4) | .0320 | .350 | – | – | – |
| Ageing and cognition | 69 (8.1) | 30 (8.6) | .0165 | .630 | – | – | – | 16 (7.9) | .0041 | .906 | – | – | – |
| Wellness and prevention | 245 (28.7) | 115 (33.0) | .0799 | .020 | 1.5 | 1.1–2.0 | .016 | 48 (23.7) | .0623 | .069 | 0.7 | 0.5–1.0 | .042 |
| Mental health | 132 (15.5) | 51 (14.7) | .0184 | .591 | – | – | – | 19 (9.4) | .0942 | .006 | 0.4 | 0.3–0.7 | .002 |
| Neurological system | 67 (14.3) | 25 (7.2) | .204 | .551 | – | – | – | 17 (8.4) | .0110 | .748 | – | – | – |
a
IRR – Incident Rate Ratio.