A Survey of Complementary and Conventional Medicine Use Patterns in the Veteran Population (CACMAS)

November 25, 2014 updated by: VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System
In this protocol, the investigators proposed to assess the Complementary Alternative Medicine (CAM) usage patterns in a Veteran population using a CAM survey developed by Dr. Hernandez and colleagues. This survey, the Complementary, Alternative and Conventional Medicines Attitudes Scale (CACMAS), is a brief, self-report questionnaire that assesses medical use patterns, as well as attitudes about medical treatment and the relationship among these. The CACMAS will assess the potential role of individual beliefs and attitudes towards complementary and conventional medicine usage patterns, and possibly indicate how this scale might be used to predict optimal treatment offerings for a particular population given attitudes about medical treatments.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Detailed Description

The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in the United States has seen a steady and steep rise over the past two decades. A national survey of over 31,000 adults found that 36% of respondents had used CAM therapies in the last month, and this estimate increased to 62% when prayer for health reasons was included. Second, this same survey showed that CAM is often used to treat symptoms and illnesses associated with stress such as depression, anxiety, back and neck pain, and gastrointestinal disorders. Finally, many individuals experiencing high levels of stress lack access to conventional medicine due to lack of medical insurance, possibly increasing the attractiveness of CAM for these individuals. This ongoing systematic characterization of CAM usage patterns in civilian populations has not been mirrored in active military and military Veteran populations across the United States. Data from the less than handful of studies that have been conducted thus far, suggest that CAM usage patterns in military and military Veteran populations are influenced by demographics and certain medical conditions, as well as dissatisfaction with certain aspects of conventional care. While there appears to be some similarity between civilian and non-civilians populations, there remains much to be known in the latter population.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

97

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Colorado
      • Denver, Colorado, United States, 80220
        • Denver Veterans Affairs Medical Center/VAECHCS
      • Denver, Colorado, United States, 80220
        • Eastern Colorado Health Care System Denver VA

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 89 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

A range of Veterans eligible to, or seeking care, from a Veterans Affairs healthcare setting.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Between ages of 18 and 89
  • Currently eligible or receiving health care at a VA Medical Center

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Inability to provide informed consent
  • Inability to answer comprehension questions

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Veteran Attitudes toward CAM

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Conventional Medicine Attitudes Scale (CACMAS)
Time Frame: One time
One time

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Lisa Brenner, PhD, VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

Helpful Links

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

November 1, 2011

Primary Completion (Actual)

November 1, 2014

Study Completion (Actual)

November 1, 2014

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

December 28, 2011

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

December 28, 2011

First Posted (Estimate)

December 30, 2011

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

December 2, 2014

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 25, 2014

Last Verified

July 1, 2012

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 11-1086

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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