Fennell Dana, Liberato Ana S Q, Zsembik Barbara
University of Southern Mississippi, Department of Anthropology and Sociology, 118 College Drive #5074, Hattiesburg, MS 39406-0001, USA.
Complement Ther Med. 2009 Apr;17(2):71-7. doi: 10.1016/j.ctim.2008.09.002. Epub 2008 Nov 20.
CAM is a socially constructed concept, and the literature on CAM definitions and patterns of use illustrates problems centering on the conceptualization and operationalization of "CAM." This renders it hard for researchers to truly understand CAM use patterns by the public. We use pilot data to explore lay conceptions of "CAM," and methodological approaches to capturing CAM usage.
Our pilot data come from surveys and journals of undergraduates, yielding direct and indirect measures of levels and patterns of CAM use.
The free listing method is a way to methodologically get around cultural bias and other problems conceptualizing CAM. Our pilot data suggest the public may have trouble conceptualizing CAM, and that survey construction does affect the richness of data on CAM use. Asking respondents direct measures of CAM modalities through surveys yielded the richest data.
补充与替代医学（CAM）是一个社会建构的概念，关于CAM定义和使用模式的文献揭示了围绕“CAM”概念化和操作化的问题。这使得研究人员难以真正理解公众对CAM的使用模式。我们使用试点数据来探索公众对“CAM”的概念理解以及捕捉CAM使用情况的方法。
我们的试点数据来自对本科生的调查和日志，提供了CAM使用水平和模式的直接和间接测量。
自由列举法是一种从方法上规避文化偏见和其他CAM概念化问题的方法。我们的试点数据表明公众在CAM概念化方面可能存在困难，并且调查设计确实会影响关于CAM使用的数据丰富程度。通过调查询问受访者对CAM方式的直接测量得出了最丰富的数据。
