Hidden Insights from Canadian RAAH Users: Unveiling Alternative Healthcare Trends

DALL·E 2023-09-30 09.26.58 - Alternative Medicine and Canada

A recent published paper explores the use of risk-associated alternative healthcare (RAAH) in Canada.

It surveys RAAH uptake among adults and examines the characteristics of its users and it also evaluates the effectiveness of various psychometric instruments in predicting RAAH behaviors.

The study finds that RAAH usage is influenced by factors like gender, age, income, education, employment, chronic illness, and ethnicity.

Around 40% of respondents engaged in some form of RAAH, with physical manipulation and herbal/nutritional supplements being the most common types.

More risky RAAH activities, such as toxin use and invasive procedures, were reported by about 5% of respondents.

The study shows that certain psychometric instruments can predict RAAH engagement by indicating higher risk tolerance, a desire for novelty, positive attitudes toward advertising and social influence, and positive beliefs about science. However, other instruments were predictive of physical manipulative or herbal/nutritional RAAH.

This research highlights the importance of evidence-based policies and practices in addressing the significant public health concern of RAAH uptake in Canada and the need for educating the public about the risks associated with certain alternative healthcare therapies.

Source: Garrett B, Caulfield T, Musoke R, Murdoch B, Tang X, Lam JST. Demographic and psychometric predictors associated with engagement in risk-associated alternative healthcare behaviours. PLoS One. 2023 Sep 21;18(9):e0291016. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0291016. PMID: 37733748; PMCID: PMC10513319.

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