Abstract
Alternative therapy can be defined as any health care intervention not widely taught in the medical schools nor practised in the hospitals of western (ie., European, North American or Australasian) countries. Overseas estimates for the prevalence of alternative therapy use in a 12 month period have ranged from 10%-49%, with the most common therapies sought being relaxation techniques (e.g., meditation, yoga), herbal medicine, massage and chiropractic. Investigations into alternative therapy users have found that they tend to be better educated and have higher incomes than non-users, and also tend to perceive themselves as having poorer health.
In an attempt to document alternative therapy use by young New Zealanders, 976 twenty-six year olds (497 males, 479 females) enrolled in the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development study were asked if they used alternative treatments in the previous 12 months. Information about alternative therapy use was collected as part of a day long assessment conducted in 1998-99 when study members were aged 26. Information was collected on use of alternative treatments and conventional health services, recent medical history and general health, recent psychological distress, tobacco use, education level and income. In the 12 months prior to their interview, 10.1% (males: 9.5%, females: 10.9%) of participants reported seeking alternative treatment. The five most common therapies used were: massage (31.3%), chiropractic (26.3%), homeopathy (13.1%), osteopathy (13.1%) and acupuncture (8.1%). Of those participants who used at least one alternative therapy, 87.9% also consulted conventional medical practitioners. Users of alternative therapy were no more likely to have a university degree than non-users (p=0.19), but they did report higher incomes (p<0.001). There was no difference in perceived health status between users and non-users (p=0.81), nor was there a difference in the likelihood of being a smoker (p=0.15). Alternative therapy users showed levels of psychological distress that did not differ from those of non-users (p=0.15). In summary, one in ten young New Zealanders use alternative therapy in a 12 month period. This prevalence rate is lower than the rates of use in Australia (49%) and the United States (42%). Since rates of use may be greater for those older than 26, this discrepancy may be because the sample in this study consisted of 26 year olds only, whereas the Australian and American samples included people of all ages. It may also be that New Zealanders are less willing than those from Australia and the United States to use alternative treatments. The prevalence of alternative therapy use does vary widely and the rate of use in this sample is similar to that found in Denmark (10%). The profile of New Zealand alternative therapy users is similar to that of alternative therapy users overseas insofar as both have higher incomes than non-users and both tend to use this therapy as an adjunct to, rather than a replacement for, conventional medicine. However, New Zealand users are no more likely to be better educated, nor do they perceive themselves as having poorer health.