[Omeo33] Art 0867 - Homeopathy, 2008, 97 (4), 178-184

[Gino Santini]

Characteristics of visitors to homeopaths in a total adult population 
study in Norway (HUNT 2)
A. Steinsbekk, T.V.L. Nilsen and M.B. Rise

Objectives - To study the characteristics of people visiting 
homeopaths in a total adult population in Norway.
Methods - Data from a total population cross sectional health survey 
conducted in 1995-1997 in Central Norway (HUNT 2) with 65,495 
participants. Variables included in the analysis were age, marital 
status, education, being a social welfare recipient, lifestyle (daily 
smoker), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS-T), global 
health perception, self-reported health complaints and a variety of 
diseases. Significance level p < 0.01.
Results - 40,027 persons over 20 years answered the question on 
visits to a homeopath. 4.3% had consulted a homeopath during the last 
12 months. The likelihood of a person consulting a homeopath was most 
strongly associated with being female (adjusted odds ratio 2.3, 95% 
confidence interval 2.1-2.6) and having a lower perceived global 
health (increasing from 1.5, 1.2-1.8 for good global health to 2.9, 
1.9-4.3 for poor global health). There was a weaker but significant 
association between increased likelihood of visiting a homeopath and 
being 30-39 years (1.3, 1.1-1.4), having a HADS-T score between 10-14 
(1.3, 1.1-1.6) and 15-19 (1.6, 1.3-2.0), having a health complaint 
the last year (1.5, 1.2-1.7), hay fever (1.7, 1.5-2.0), consulted for 
a psychiatric complaint (1.5, 1.3-1.8) and another chronic disease 
than the ones asked about in this study (1.3, 1.1-1.6). Being a 
smoker was significantly associated with decreased likelihood of 
consulting a homeopath (0.7, 0.6-0.7). There was also a trend for 
increased likelihood of visits to homeopaths (p < 0.1) for those 60 
years and over, social welfare recipients, having a chronic complaint 
and HADS-T score of 20 or higher, and decreased likelihood for 
widow(er)s.
Conclusions and proposals - Being female and having a lower perceived 
global health were the variables most strongly associated with visits 
to a homeopath. More studies on visits to homeopaths from other 
populations (countries, children and adolescent) are needed.

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