Attributes of Non-Hispanic Blacks That Use Chiropractic Health Care: A Survey of Patients in Texas and Louisiana

Overview

Journal J Chiropr Med

Date 2015 Dec 23

PMID 26693213

Citations 1

Authors

John Ward

Kelley Humphries

Jesse Coats

Paige Whitfield

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to describe non-Hispanic blacks that use chiropractic health care to better understand this underserved demographic.

Methods: E-mail and telephone calls were used to recruit doctors of chiropractic (DCs) in Texas and Louisiana to distribute anonymous surveys to their non-Hispanic black patients. Twenty doctors volunteered to participate. Each was sent 10 surveys and self-addressed envelopes to distribute. All doctors were given at least 3 months to distribute surveys to as many non-Hispanic black patients that they had. The survey contained 20 questions designed to develop a profile of non-Hispanic black patients that used chiropractic care. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize demographic and other patient attributes.

Results: Two-hundred surveys were distributed and 44 were completed, yielding a response rate of 22%. Non-Hispanic black patients were more likely to be female (54.5%), be older than 50 years (56.8%), be a college graduate (59.1%), be employed (61.9%), report not receiving public assistance in the past 5 years (81.4%), report a household income of $20 000 to $60 000 a year (48.8%), and born in the United States (83.7%). Participants reported that there was a DC within 30 minutes of their address (81.4%), their DC always explained things to them in an easy-to-understand manner (81.8%), their DC always showed respect for what they had to say (88.6%), and their DC always cared about them as a person (86.4%).

Conclusions: In the sample surveyed, non-Hispanic black patients tended to be female, be older, be college educated, be employed, and have a positive viewpoint on their interactions with their DC.

Citing Articles

The chiropractic profession: a scoping review of utilization rates, reasons for seeking care, patient profiles, and care provided.

Beliveau P, Wong J, Sutton D, Simon N, Bussieres A, Mior S Chiropr Man Therap. 2017; 25:35.

PMID: 29201346 PMC: 5698931. DOI: 10.1186/s12998-017-0165-8.

References

Wolinsky F, Liu L, Miller T, Geweke J, Cook E, Greene B . The use of chiropractors by older adults in the United States. Chiropr Osteopat. 2007; 15:12. PMC: 2034378. DOI: 10.1186/1746-1340-15-12. View

Jacobs B, Birbeck G, Mullard A, Hickenbottom S, Kothari R, Roberts S . Quality of hospital care in African American and white patients with ischemic stroke and TIA. Neurology. 2006; 66(6):809-14. DOI: 10.1212/01.wnl.0000203335.45804.72. View

Upchurch D, Dye C, Chyu L, Gold E, Greendale G . Demographic, behavioral, and health correlates of complementary and alternative medicine and prayer use among midlife women: 2002. J Womens Health (Larchmt). 2010; 19(1):23-30. PMC: 2828262. DOI: 10.1089/jwh.2008.1096. View

Brown C, Barner J, Bohman T, Richards K . A multivariate test of an expanded Andersen Health Care utilization model for complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use in African Americans. J Altern Complement Med. 2009; 15(8):911-9. PMC: 3191375. DOI: 10.1089/acm.2008.0561. View

Astin J . Why patients use alternative medicine: results of a national study. JAMA. 1998; 279(19):1548-53. DOI: 10.1001/jama.279.19.1548. View

Globe G, Morris C, Whalen W, Farabaugh R, Hawk C . Chiropractic management of low back disorders: report from a consensus process. J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 2008; 31(9):651-8. DOI: 10.1016/j.jmpt.2008.10.006. View

Betancourt J . Eliminating racial and ethnic disparities in health care: what is the role of academic medicine?. Acad Med. 2006; 81(9):788-92. DOI: 10.1097/00001888-200609000-00004. View

Santilli V, Beghi E, Finucci S . Chiropractic manipulation in the treatment of acute back pain and sciatica with disc protrusion: a randomized double-blind clinical trial of active and simulated spinal manipulations. Spine J. 2006; 6(2):131-7. DOI: 10.1016/j.spinee.2005.08.001. View

Kessler R, Davis R, Foster D, Van Rompay M, Walters E, Wilkey S . Long-term trends in the use of complementary and alternative medical therapies in the United States. Ann Intern Med. 2001; 135(4):262-8. DOI: 10.7326/0003-4819-135-4-200108210-00011. View

10.

EISENBERG D, Davis R, Ettner S, Appel S, Wilkey S, Van Rompay M . Trends in alternative medicine use in the United States, 1990-1997: results of a follow-up national survey. JAMA. 1998; 280(18):1569-75. DOI: 10.1001/jama.280.18.1569. View

11.

Paramore L . Use of alternative therapies: estimates from the 1994 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation National Access to Care Survey. J Pain Symptom Manage. 1997; 13(2):83-9. DOI: 10.1016/s0885-3924(96)00299-0. View

12.

Sewell K, Andreae S, Luke E, Safford M . Perceptions of and barriers to use of generic medications in a rural African American population, Alabama, 2011. Prev Chronic Dis. 2012; 9:E142. PMC: 3475503. DOI: 10.5888/pcd9.120010. View

13.

Cassidy J, Quon J, LaFrance L, Yong-Hing K . The effect of manipulation on pain and range of motion in the cervical spine: a pilot study. J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 1992; 15(8):495-500. View

14.

EISENBERG D, Kessler R, Foster C, Norlock F, Calkins D, Delbanco T . Unconventional medicine in the United States. Prevalence, costs, and patterns of use. N Engl J Med. 1993; 328(4):246-52. DOI: 10.1056/NEJM199301283280406. View

15.

Ness J, Cirillo D, Weir D, Nisly N, Wallace R . Use of complementary medicine in older Americans: results from the Health and Retirement Study. Gerontologist. 2005; 45(4):516-24. PMC: 1557639. DOI: 10.1093/geront/45.4.516. View

16.

Barner J, Bohman T, Brown C, Richards K . Use of complementary and alternative medicine for treatment among African-Americans: a multivariate analysis. Res Social Adm Pharm. 2010; 6(3):196-208. PMC: 2933406. DOI: 10.1016/j.sapharm.2009.08.001. View

17.

Weech-Maldonado R, Carle A, Weidmer B, Hurtado M, Ngo-Metzger Q, Hays R . The Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) cultural competence (CC) item set. Med Care. 2012; 50(9 Suppl 2):S22-31. PMC: 3748811. DOI: 10.1097/MLR.0b013e318263134b. View

18.

Struthers R, Nichols L . Utilization of complementary and alternative medicine among racial and ethnic minority populations: implications for reducing health disparities. Annu Rev Nurs Res. 2004; 22:285-313. View

19.

Juni P, Battaglia M, Nuesch E, Hammerle G, Eser P, van Beers R . A randomised controlled trial of spinal manipulative therapy in acute low back pain. Ann Rheum Dis. 2008; 68(9):1420-7. DOI: 10.1136/ard.2008.093757. View

20.

Ndetan H, Bae S, Evans Jr M, Rupert R, Singh K . Characterization of health status and modifiable risk behavior among United States adults using chiropractic care as compared with general medical care. J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 2009; 32(6):414-22. DOI: 10.1016/j.jmpt.2009.06.012. View