Comparing Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use with or without Including Prayer as a Modality in a Local and Diverse United States Jurisdiction

Frontiers in Public Health

Brenda Robles¹ 

关键词: complementary and alternative medicine;    prayer;    public health;    surveillance;    benchmarking;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpubh.2017.00056

学科分类：卫生学

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

ObjectivesFew studies to date have examined the utilization of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in a local, ethnically diverse population in the United States (U.S.). Fewer have addressed the differences in their use based on inclusion or exclusion of prayer as a modality. Variable definitions of CAM are known to affect public health surveillance (i.e., continuous, systematic data collection, analysis, and interpretation) or benchmarking (i.e., identifying and comparing key indicators of health to inform community planning) related to this non-mainstream collection of health and wellness therapies. The present study sought to better understand how including or excluding prayer could affect reporting of CAM use among residents of a large, urban U.S. jurisdiction.

【 授权许可】

CC BY