An Exploration of College Students’ Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use

Abstract

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies are varied. The purposes of this study were the following: (a) to identify CAM therapies students kfow about and have used; (b) to investigate how college students view alternative practitioners (APs) and medical doctors (MDs) based on opinion about patient/client interaction; (c) to assess relationship of CAM use to selected demographics, being a member of an athletic team, and selected personal health behaviors; (d) to assess relationship of CAM use to health locus of control and spirituality/spiritual health; and (e) to identify predictors of CAM use. Participants included 997 students (males = 304; females = 693) attending a southern university. CAM use differed by age, being a member of an athletic team, and year in school. Participants viewed APs as more sympathetic, having more time to listen, more sensitive to emotional issues, and better at explaining treatments. They viewed MDs as having more knowledge of disease and better at explaining why one is ill. Pearson correlation coefficient revealed a significant positive relationship between several previous medical illnesses or health conditions and attitudes toward APs. Health Locus of Control (HLC) internality was significantly related to use of CAM therapies and to spirituality level. Stepwise multiple regression (MR) revealed twelve significant predictors of CAM use and nine factors significantly predictive of herbal supplement use. Since college students are employing CAM therapies, health educators need to plan and implement CAM educational programs and/or courses to increase students' knowledge about safe versus unsafe CAM practices.