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Generational Differences in Young Women's Complementary Medicine Use Motivators: Analysis of Data Obtained from Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health
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Generational Differences in Young Women's Complementary Medicine Use Motivators: Analysis of Data Obtained from Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health

Niki Munk, Amie Steel, Jon Wardle, Jon Adams, David Sibbritt and Romy Lauche
Advances in integrative medicine, Vol.6(Supplement 1), pp.S34-S34
14th International Congress on Complementary Research (ICCMR 2019), 14th (Brisbane, Australia, 07/05/2019–10/05/2019)
05/2019
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aimed.2019.03.096

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Abstract

Background: Generational differences in complementary medicine (CM) use between elders from different birth cohorts have been reported but no research has compared CM usage or motivators between young people from different birth cohorts. The Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health (ALSWH) provides an excellent opportunity to analyze generational differences in CM services use between young women from different birth cohorts at the same points in their lives. Methods: Two ALSWH cross-sectional surveys were examined with logistical regression analyses to determine differences between young Generation X women (surveyed 1996), and Millennial women (surveyed 2014) regarding consultations with CM practitioners, sociodemographic characteristics, and health. Results: Of the 14,247 Generation X women, 19.4% reported consulting CM, compared to 26.8% of the 11,344 Millennial women (p < 0.001). CM consultations was predicted in both cohorts by higher age, education beyond primary school, non-urban (vs. urban) residence, and frequent back pain or headaches. Obesity and regular smoking predicted non-use in both. Significant cohort differences in Odds’ ratios were found for physical activity levels (p = 0.018) and health status (p = 0.023); moderate/high levels of physical activity were associated with increased CM consultations only in Millennial women (p < 0.001), Generation X women reporting fair-poor health were more likely to consult CM practitioners (p = 0.001), and Millennial women reporting good health were less likely consult CM practitioners compared to women with very good/excellent health (p = 0.011). Conclusions: The differences of health care status predictors in CM utilization for young women from Generation X to the Millennial generation point to different health consumer patterns for future middle- and older-aged women.

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