Today is World Asthma Day.

So, researchers at the Universite de Montreal, in Quebec, surveyed CAM use and factors associated with its use.

First, the details.

• Parents of 2027 children who went to the Asthma Centre of The Montreal Children’s Hospital between 1999 and 2007 completed a questionnaire.
• The children ranged from 3 to 10 years old; 58% were male, and 59% of children had persistent asthma — asthma symptoms during the day on most days and frequent symptoms at night.

And, the results.

• 13% of the children used CAM.
• Most commonly reported CAM:
  • Supplemental vitamins (24%)
  • Homeopathy (18%)
  • Acupuncture (11%)
• There was an association between CAM use and age younger than 6 years, Asian ethnicity, episodic asthma, and poor asthma control.

The bottom line?

The authors concluded, “The prevalence of reported CAM use among Quebec children with asthma remained modest (13%).”

CAM use is estimated to be about 12% among children in the US.

By comparison, 37% of US adults use CAM.

12/2/10 20:55 JR