(555) Complementary and alternative medicine use among children with pain in the United States: patterns, predictors, and perceived benefits

Abstract

Growing evidence suggests that complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) may be useful in treating pediatric pain conditions. However nationally representative patterns of CAM use among children with pain are unknown. The 2012 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) collects information on a broad range of health status variables in addition to information about use of 34 CAM modalities. Using data from NHIS we examined patterns, predictors, and perceived benefits of CAM use among children 4-17 years of age (M age = 10.5 years) with and without painful conditions. The NHIS sample (n=10,218) contained mostly white, non-Hispanic (53.7%) males (51.1%). Among participants, 2,796 (26.6%) reported pain (e.g. headache, abdominal, musculoskeletal pain) in the past year and of these 21.3% reported CAM use. In contrast only 8.1% of children without pain used CAM (χ2: p<.001). CAM use among children with pain was associated with female sex (adjusted odds ratio (OR)=1.54, p=0.002), higher income (OR=2.3, p<0.001), and having multiple comorbidities (OR=2.54, p<0.001). Furthermore, among children with pain, 7.2% used CAM specifically for pain management. Of these 100% reported that it was helpful in managing pain. Parents reported other health benefits of CAM for their children’s pain including improved energy (26%), improved sleep (55%), and reduced stress (49%). The 2 most commonly used CAM categories to specifically treat pain were manipulative (e.g., chiropractor, massage; 87%) and biology based (e.g., special diets, supplements; 33%) therapies. Many children who used CAM also used traditional health care services to treat their pain, including prescription medications (20%), over the counter medications (45%), physical therapy (15%), and mental health services (2.5%). These findings suggest that CAM is readily used by children with pain in the USA and many parents find it beneficial for their child’s symptoms. Future studies may identify which CAM modalities are most useful in treating pediatric pain.