Abstract
In general, the pattern and perception of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use in young people are little known. Particularly, given South Korea's dual health care system that includes both Korean traditional medicine and Western medicine, young adults in South Korea may be unique for the study of CAM use. Accordingly, this study investigated the modality, purpose, and perceptions of CAM use among young adults in South Korea and determined the predictors of CAM use. In addition, reasons for CAM use were compared to those for exercise. A survey was conducted among 649 young members of fitness centers (aged 20-39 years). The structured written questionnaire included the questions related to use of 30 CAM modalities, satisfaction with CAM use, factors associated with CAM use, reasons for exercise and CAM use, and perceptions of CAM. The most common therapies used in lifetime were acupuncture, massage, moxibustion/cupping, yoga, and diet-based therapies. The most satisfied therapy was massage followed by aroma therapy. The main reasons for using CAM were to relieve musculoskeletal pains while those for doing exercise were to lose weight, to promote health, and to have a positive body image. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that higher education level, having a religion, and having a health problem were significant independent predictors of CAM use after controlling for other factors. The majority of respondents reported “relief of pain and symptoms” as the perceived effect of CAM and “lack of advertising” as the weakness of CAM. The majority of respondents got CAM information from mass media and Internet. In conclusion, CAM use is significantly associated with education level, religious status, and health status in Korean young adult members of fitness centers. The main purposes of utilizing CAM and performing exercise are different.
Highlights
Prevalence of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use is different across countries depending on diverse cultural and social backgrounds [1, 2]
It is well-known that CAM use increases with age [1,2,3], but few studies have examined CAM use in younger adults: Most of previous studies about CAM use have been focused on users in older age since CAM users tended to be middle-aged or elderly [1, 3,4,5]
Since it is generally not known about the patterns, reasons, and perspectives of CAM use in young adults, we investigated these aspects of CAM use in young adults
Summary
Prevalence of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use is different across countries depending on diverse cultural and social backgrounds [1, 2]. The patterns and perceptions of CAM use in young adults in South Korea may be different from older adults and those in other countries. Since it is generally not known about the patterns, reasons, and perspectives of CAM use in young adults, we investigated these aspects of CAM use in young adults. Given the similarity of exercise and CAM as preventive health care modalities and the age-related differences in utilization of both modalities, we investigated the prevalence, modalities, predictors, reasons, and the perceived benefits and weaknesses of CAM use among young adult members of fitness centers and determined the factors related to CAM use. Satisfaction levels of each CAM therapy were measured by a 5-point Likert scale (1=very dissatisfied; 2=somewhat dissatisfied; 3= neutral; 4= somewhat satisfied; 5= very satisfied) [21, 22]
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