Perceived Benefits of Using Complementary and Alternative Medicine by Race/Ethnicity Among Midlife and Older Adults in the United States.

To describe, for a national sample of midlife and older adults, the types of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) used for health and wellness and the perceived benefits of CAM use by race/ethnicity. Using data from the 2012 National Health Interview Survey, we ran multiple logistic regression models to estimate the odds of each perceived benefit among adults ages 50 and older. More than 38% of midlife and older adults used CAM in the past year. For six of seven perceived benefits examined, we found significant differences by race/ethnicity, with each group having higher odds of two or more perceived benefits compared with non-Hispanic Whites. Although racial/ethnic minority groups are less likely to use CAM compared with non-Hispanic Whites, those who use CAM perceive great benefit. Future research should examine the potential contribution of evidence-based CAM to promoting health and well-being in a diverse aging population.