Groden SR, et al. – The present study was undertaken to evaluate the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) among older adults. The findings suggested that age cohort played a significant role in shaping individual health care behaviors and service use and might influence future trends in the use of CAM for behavioral health. Therefore, health care providers need to be aware of the patient use of CAM and communicate with them about the pros and cons of alternative therapies.

Methods

• Members were adults born in 1964 or earlier (n=11,371).
• Over half (61.3%) are baby boomers and 53% are female.
• 75% of the sample is white, 10.2% African American, .6% black Caribbean, 9.35 Latino, and 4.1% Asian.

Results

• The results of this study showed that baby boomers were more likely than pre-boomers to report utilizing CAM for a mental disorder.
• Among identified CAM users, a higher proportion of baby boomers reported utilizing most individual CAM modalities.
• The only CAM used by more pre-boomers were prayer and spiritual practices.