Use of Spiritual Healing Therapy in Relation to Race

and Ethnicity

Catherine Simile, Ph.D. and Hanyu Ni, Ph.D.

Division of Health Interview Statistics

National Center for Health Statistics

Background

• Increasing trend in the use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM)

• Overall users tend to be women, white, more educated, have higher income and be covered by health insurance

Background--continued

• Reported high use of spiritual healing and prayer as one of these modalities

• Unknown relationship between spiritual healing and prayer and race and ethnicity

Objective

• To examine the utilization of spiritual healing and prayer among US adults in relation to race and ethnicity

Methods

• Data source:

• 1999 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS)

• Face-to-face interviews

Methods—cont’d

• Response rate: •Household –90%•Sample Adult--70%

• 30,801 adults aged 18 and older

Measure of Prayer and Spiritual Healing

• Use in past year

• Self-reported

• One of 12 listed CAM therapies and other

Question

People may also use alternative health care services.

I’d like to ask you about your use of some alternative kinds of therapies and treatments. During the past 12 months have you used...Spiritual healing or prayer?

Other Variables

• Health insurance coverage (y/n)• General health status• Race and Ethnicity• Hispanic• Non-Hispanic White• Non-Hispanic Black

Other Variables-cont’d

• Gender

• Region of the country

• Age

• Education

• Income

• Other sociodemographic characteristics

Statistical analysis:

• Data weighted for population estimates

• Adjusted for non-response

• SUDAAN software used to adjust for cluster sample design

Characteristics of study subjects by race/ethnicity

Characteristic % Hispanic % NH-White % NH-Black

Age

18- 19.1 11.5 15.9

25- 26.1 17.4 22.1

35- 23.3 22.0 23.7

45- 14.3 18.5 16.7

55+ 17.1 30.6 21.6

Female 50.6 51.8 55.6

Characteristics of study subjects by race/ethnicity-cont’d

Characteristic % Hispanic % NH- White % NH-Black

Education

<12 38.8 11.7 20.9

12-15 45.3 53.5 55.9

16+ 15.9 34.9 23.3

Health insurance, yes

66.0 89.8 81.4

Family income

<$ 20,000

24.3 13.7 27.9

Percent of adults who used 13 types of complementary and alternative medicine in the past year: United States, 1999

Modality % 95% C. I.

Spiritual healing or prayer

13.7 13.1-14.2

Herbal medicine 9.6 9.1-10.0

Chiropractic therapy

7.6 7.2 - 7.9

Lifestyle diet 6.9 6.5 - 7.3

Massage therapy 6.4 6.0 - 6.8

Relaxation 5.0 4.7 - 5.4

Homeopathy 3.1 2.9 - 3.3

Percent of adults who used 13 types of complementary and alternative medicine in the past year: United States, 1999-cont’d

Characteristic % 95% C.I.

Imagery 1.7 1.5 - 1.9

Acupuncture 1.4 1.2 - 1.5

Energy 1.1 0.9 - 1.3

Hypnosis 0.5 0.4 - 0.6

Biofeedback 0.5 0.4 - 0.6

Other 0.3 0.2 - 0.3

Percent Using Spiritual Healing or Prayer by Race/Ethnicity

Hisp NH White NH Black

Race/Ethnicity

0

5

10

15

20

Per

cent

Use

Spi

ritu

al H

eali

ng/P

raye

r

Gender

Men Women

Gender

0

5

10

15

20

25

Per

cent

Use

Spi

ritua

l Hea

ling/

Pra

yer

Hispanic

NH White

NH Black

Region of the Country

Northeast Midwest South West

Region of the Country

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Per

cent

Use

Spi

ritu

al H

eali

ng o

r P

raye

r

Hispanic

NH White

NH Black

Age

A18-24 A25-34 A35-44 A45-54 A ge 55

Age

0

5

10

15

20

25

Per

cent

Use

Spi

ritu

al H

eali

ng/P

raye

r

Hispanic

NH White

NH Black

Education (years)

Y<12 Y12-15 Y ge 16

Education, years

0

5

10

15

20

25

Per

cent

Use

Spi

ritu

al H

eali

ng/P

raye

r

Hispanic

NH White

NH Black

Family Income

Lower Higher

Family Income

0

5

10

15

20

Per

cent

Use

Spi

ritua

l Hea

ling/

Pra

yer

Hispanic

NH White

NH Black

Health Insurance

No Yes

Health Insurance

0

5

10

15

20

Per

cent

Use

Spi

ritua

l Hea

ling/

Pra

yer

Hispanic

NH White

NH Black

Respondent-Reported Health Status

Excellent Very Good Good Fair Poor

Respondent--Reported Health Status

5

10

15

20

25

Per

cent

Use

Spi

ritu

al H

eali

ng/P

raye

r

Hisp

NH White

NH Black

Use of Spiritual healing or Prayer in relation to race/ethnicity: Results from logistic regression

Race/ethnicity Odds Ratio 95% CI

Model 1 (unadjusted)

Hispanic 0.44 0.37-0.53

NH-White 0.80 0.70-0.91

NH-Black 1.00 -

Model 2*

(adjusted)

Hispanic 0.51 0.42-0.61

NH-White 0.78 0.68-0.90

*Adjusted for age, gender, health insurance status, education