Factors associated with complementary medicine use in pediatric musculoskeletal conditions: Results from a national survey

- Children with musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions use CAM more than three times as much as children without MSK conditions.
- Race, parental education and parental CAM use are associated with CAM use in children with MSK conditions.
- Children with MSK conditions demonstrate a high rate of response to CAM therapies.

ObjectivesComplementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use is common in children, but its use has only been investigated in children with musculoskeletal conditions (MSK) to a limited extent. We aimed to characterize factors associated with CAM use in children with MSK conditions.MethodsWithin the 2012 National Health Interview Survey dataset (including its child CAM supplement), we examined factors associated with CAM use in children with MSK conditions and performed an analysis examining the perceived usefulness of CAM therapies for MSK conditions.ResultsOverall, there were 10,218 children in the dataset. 28.0% of children with MSK conditions used CAM, compared to 8.8% of children without MSK conditions. Gender (p = 0.003), region (p = 0.001), race (p = 0.001), parental CAM use (p < 0.001), education (<0.001), and having anxiety, stress or depression (p = 0.030) were correlated with CAM use. Among 90 children who reported on CAM use, 89.7% said that CAM helped some or a great deal for their MSK condition.ConclusionsSeveral factors, particularly parental education and parental CAM use, were associated with CAM use, and self-reported improvement rates were high. Interventional trials are needed to determine the efficacy of specific CAM therapies for treating different MSK conditions in children.