- Previous rounds of the National Health Interview Survey had suggested low levels of complementary and alternative medicine use among kids.
- A new cross-sectional study showed that use of this type of medicine jumped from 4.6% in 2007 to 17.7% in 2022 among children and adolescents ages 4 to 17.
- Mind-body therapies were the most commonly used modalities in 2022, including yoga and meditation.
The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) among kids and teens in the U.S. significantly increased in recent years, a cross-sectional study showed.
Using data for nearly 23,000 children and adolescents ages 4 to 17 from the National Health Interview Survey, use of CAM jumped from 4.6% in 2007 to 17.7% in 2022 (P<0.001), reported Cornelius B. Groenewald, MD, of the Stanford University School of Medicine in California, and colleagues.
Mind-body therapies were the most commonly used CAM modalities in 2022, including yoga (12.6%) and meditation (6.9%), while acupuncture was the least commonly used modality (0.2%), they noted in JAMA Pediatrics.
Between 2007 and 2022, every sociodemographic group examined saw a significant increase in CAM use. The largest prevalence increases were seen in kids ages 6 to 11 (adjusted prevalence ratio [APR] 6.11, 95% CI 4.76-7.84) and those ages 4 to 5 (APR 5.60, 95% CI 3.61-8.68). There were no significant differences in the change of CAM use by sex or race/ethnicity.
Previous rounds of the National Health Interview Survey had suggested low levels of CAM use among kids, Groenewald and colleagues said, but "evidence for the safety and efficacy of pediatric CAM approaches is growing," with a recent systematic review of 23 studies suggesting that mindfulness-based interventions may help reduce substance use in young people.
Despite this, "barriers to access remain, including financial considerations," they pointed out.
"The greater increases in CAM use among younger children compared with adolescents suggest growing acceptability of these therapies for younger age groups," the authors wrote. "These trends may reflect increasing public and clinical acceptance, a growing evidence base for efficacy for various health conditions, and expanded insurance coverage."
"This increased use underscores the need for rigorous clinical trials to further examine the benefits of CAM for both general and specific conditions," they added. "Furthermore, it highlights the importance of conversations between clinicians and patients about the potential benefits of CAM and an examination of accessibility across sociodemographic factors."
For this study, Groenewald and colleagues analyzed data from the 2007, 2012, and 2022 CAM supplements to the National Health Interview Survey. Parents were asked whether their child used or saw a practitioner for the CAM modalities of acupuncture, guided imagery and/or progressive relaxation, massage, meditation, naturopathy, and yoga over the preceding 12 months. (A question on meditation was not captured in 2012, while a question on chiropractic care differed in 2022 and was excluded from analyses.)
Overall, the study sample included 22,978 kids and teens. Mean age was 10.8, and 51.3% were male.
Limitations to the study included a reliance on parent reporting, "which may underestimate or overestimate CAM use," the authors noted, as well as a lack of information on specific reasons for CAM use, intensity of CAM use, or clinical outcomes. "The rarity of certain CAM approaches also limits the precision of some prevalence estimates," they added.
Disclosures
The authors reported no conflicts of interest.
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