[Omeo33] Art 1014 - Compl Ther Med, 2009, 17 (4), 208-215

[Gino Santini]

Longitudinal analysis of complementary and alternative health care use  
in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis
Karine Toupin April, Debbie Ehrmann Feldman, Maria Victoria  
Zunzunegui, Martin Descarreaux, Peter Mallesonf and Ciarán M. Duffy

Objectives - The aims were to determine the frequency of use of  
different types of complementary and alternative health care (CAHC) in  
children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), to evaluate their  
effectiveness from the parents’ point of view and to explore the  
factors associated with utilization and with continued use.
Methods - A cohort of children with JIA (n = 182, mean age: 10 years)  
who attended out-patient clinics were followed for 1 year. Parents  
responded to questionnaires every 3 months. We used generalized  
estimating equations to analyze factors associated with CAHC use and  
polytomous regression to evaluate factors associated with continued  
use of CAHC.
Results - Use of CAHC ranged between 10% and 24% for the various 3- 
month intervals and 36.4% of participants used at least one type of  
CAHC over the 12-month period. Seventy-two percent of parents who used  
CAHC for their children felt that it was at least somewhat beneficial.  
Predictors of continued use of CAHC included previous use of CAHC by  
parents for their own health problems and lower perceived helpfulness  
of prescribed medications. Neither children's demographic and  
socioeconomic characteristics nor disease status were associated with  
CAHC use.
Conclusions - CAHC use in children with JIA is common and considered  
to be moderately beneficial by most parents who used it. Lower  
parents’ perceived helpfulness of medications and previous use of CAHC  
are associated with a longer use of CAHC by their child. These facts  
should be taken into account by health professionals involved in the  
care of these children.

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