Primary Care Diabetes
Volume 3, Issue 3 , Pages 149-156, August 2009

Correlates of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use in Chicago area children with diabetes (DM)

  • Jennifer L. Miller

      Affiliations

    • University of Chicago, Department of Pediatric Endocrinology, Chicago, IL, USA
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author at: 3943 North Hermitage Avenue, Chicago, IL 60613-2521, USA. Tel.: +1 011 312 961 8306; fax: +1 011 630 416 4504.
    • ,
  • Dingcai Cao

      Affiliations

    • University of Chicago, Department of Health Studies, Chicago, IL, USA
    • ,
  • Jonathan G. Miller

      Affiliations

    • Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management, Evanston, IL, USA
    • ,
  • Rebecca B. Lipton

      Affiliations

    • University of Chicago, Department of Pediatric Endocrinology, Chicago, IL, USA

Received 14 September 2008; received in revised form 17 June 2009; accepted 17 June 2009. published online 17 July 2009.

Abstract 

Aims

To correlate complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use in children with diabetes mellitus (DM) with DM control and other family or disease characteristics.

Methods

Parents/guardians of children with DM were interviewed about demographics, clinical characteristics, CAM use, health care beliefs, psychosocial variables, and religious beliefs. The child's hemoglobin A1c (HgbA1c) value from the visit was collected. Statistical analyses included χ2, Fisher's exact test, and 2-sample t-tests.

Results

106 families with type 1 DM were interviewed. 33% of children tried CAM in the last year; 75% of parents had ever tried CAM. Children most commonly tried faith healing or prayer; parents most commonly tried faith healing or prayer, chiropractic, massage, and herbal teas. Children were more likely to have used CAM if their parents or siblings used CAM or their family was more religious. They were more likely to have discussed CAM with their providers if they used CAM. Parents of child CAM users reported more problems with DM treatment adherence.

Conclusions

Children with DM used CAM. There were no differences in DM control, demographics, healthcare beliefs, stress, or quality of life between CAM users and non-users. Practitioners should inquire about CAM use to improve DM care for children.

Keywords: Complementary/alternative medicine, Children, Diabetes

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PII: S1751-9918(09)00049-7

doi:10.1016/j.pcd.2009.06.006

Primary Care Diabetes
Volume 3, Issue 3 , Pages 149-156, August 2009

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