Patterns of complementary and alternative medicine use and health literacy in general practice patients in urban and regional Australia.

BACKGROUND: The majority of Australians use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Despite concerns about safety, patterns of health literacy and CAM use in Australian general practice are unknown.

METHODS: Pre-existing questionnaires assessing health literacy and CAM use (HLQ and I-CAM-Q) were distributed by eight practices across four Australian states to 800 patients aged 18 years and older for self-completion. Regression modelling and cluster analysis were applied to the data.

RESULTS: The response rate was 47% (n = 374), the mean age was 53 years and 68% of participants were female. Two-thirds of participants used some form of CAM in the previous 12 months, and 60% believed CAM aided wellbeing. There were significant associations between cluster membership, education, sex and CAM use.

DISCUSSION: Our findings suggest CAM use is a complex phenomenon, associated with gender and education. We demonstrated a cluster of female patients with high CAM use and lower health literacy warranting further research.