Originally published May 1 2005
Pediatric and adolescent patients remain a small component of alternative healthcare
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
A research article published in the April issue of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine indicates that pediatric and adolescent patients are only a small portion of insurance expenditures on complementary and alternative medicine. The author analyzed insurance claims from 2002 from two health insurers in Washington state. Only 6.2 percent of claims for insured children used an alternative professional, amounting to 1.3 percent of total expenditures. Patients used chiropractic and massage therapies for musculoskeletal complaints, while acupuncture and naturopathic medicine found wider use. The article found that the presence of an adult in the family who used alternative therapies was the strongest predictor of alternative utilization for children and adolescents.
Insured pediatric and adolescent patients account for only a small part of total insurance expenditures for complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) but are more likely to use these therapies if their adult family members also use CAM professionals, according to an article.
Newswise --- Insured pediatric and adolescent patients account for only a small part of total insurance expenditures for complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) but are more likely to use these therapies if their adult family members also use CAM professionals, according to an article in the April issue of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Forty-two percent of adults reported the use of complementary and alternative medicine in a 1997 study and the rate of use is increasing, according to background information in the article.
Because Washington state requires private insurers to cover claims for services from CAM-licensed professionals, insurance claims provide a database for investigating the frequency, predictors and expenditures for the use of complementary and alternative medicine by children and adolescents, according to the authors.
For those with claims, 6.2 percent used an alternative professional during the year, accounting for 1.3 percent of the total expenditures and 3.6 percent of expenditures for all outpatient professionals.
�oeAlthough use of chiropractic and massage was almost always for musculoskeletal complaints, acupuncture and naturopathic medicine filled a broader role,� the researchers found.
�oeWe found that CAM use was significantly less likely for males⬦and more likely for children with cancer, children with low back pain, and children with adult family members who use CAM,� the authors write.
The effect of this covariate on the likelihood of a child�(TM)s use dwarfed all others.
Editor�(TM)s Note: This work was supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md.
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