| Learning Objective #1: Identify factors that correlate with the use of complementary therapy among rural, older adults | |||
| Learning Objective #2: Identify two challenges in conducting inter-institutional research in rural areas |
Objective: to explore the use, cost, and satisfaction of rural-dwelling older adults with quality and effectiveness of complementary therapies. Design: a cross-sectional descriptive survey was conducted using telephone interviews. Sample, setting: 325 individuals between 60 & 98 years of age, 160 from Montana and 165 from North Dakota. Methods: a nested, multi-state random sample was generated using two strata per state and five towns per strata. Names were randomly drawn from commercially purchased telephone listings. The University of North Dakota Social Science Research Institute conducted scripted telephone interviews. Variables: Data were collected on use of, cost of, and satisfaction with complementary therapy as well as selected demographic characteristics, self-assessment of health, religiosity, and use of traditional health care services. Findings: Only 17.5% of the participants reported using complementary providers, while 35.7% used self-directed practices (e.g. herbs). 202 participants reported having one or more chronic health conditions, although 78% claimed to be in good or better health. Participants most often learned about the therapies from relatives or friends. Logistic regression was used to examine factors associated with use of complementary therapy. Of the factors examined, education had the strongest association with complementary therapy use (providers and self-directed). The more years of education, the higher were the odds of use of complementary care. Conclusions: These rural dwellers tended to use self-directed practices more than treatment by a therapist. The use of either therapy or self-directed practices was lower than has been found in national samples. Implications: Older individuals have a greater prevalence of chronic illness, use more health care services than do younger individuals. As older people live longer with chronic illnesses that require ongoing management of both the disease processes and the attendant symptoms, and as health care systems increasingly promote in-home self-management, the choices individuals make about treatments are important.
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