Utilization Rates and Factors Associated with Adoption of Complementary and Alternative Medicine Practices in the US

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) practices have been widely adopted for thousands of years in the Eastern world. Integration of such approaches into the conventional medicine model has been limited, however, and there continues to be a paucity of data describing the extent of CAM usage in the US. The purpose of this investigation was to derive nationally-based estimates of CAM utilization among a large sample of adults who completed the 2022 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). In this cross-sectional analysis, chi-squared tests and multivariate logistic regression models were used to identify factors associated with CAM use. Among 27 651 adults completing the survey, approximately 37% reported participating in at least one CAM activity in the past 12 months. CAM users were more likely to be of younger age, female sex, have obtained higher levels of education, have increased anxiety and report having better overall health. Meditation (18%), yoga (15%), chiropractic care (11%), and massage therapy (11%) were the most frequently reported modalities, while fewer than 5% of respondents visited an acupuncturist or naturopath or participated in art or music therapy. The main reason for CAM utilization was to improve overall health. Findings from this study indicate that approximately one-third of US adults engage in some form of CAM activity and that better health outcomes were associated with these practices. Additional research is needed to better understand the barriers and facilitators of CAM use and to further qualify which factors may influence the decision to (or not to) engage in such practices.