Attitudes toward and use of complementary and alternative medicine among Hispanic and white mothers.

CONTEXT: Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use has become more prevalent in the United States. Little is known, however, regarding the ethnic and language differences of mothers as related to their beliefs about and use of CAM. OBJECTIVE: This study intended to examine the differences in CAM beliefs and use in English- and Spanish-speaking Hispanic and white mothers of children undergoing surgery. DESIGN: The research team employed a cross-sectional survey design. SETTING: Mothers were recruited from the Children's Hospital of Orange County (CHOC) in Southern California, and they completed the study's surveys on the day of their children's outpatient surgery. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 206 mothers participated: (1) 42 English-speaking, non-Hispanic white (ESW) women; (2) 92 English-speaking Hispanic (ESH) women; and (3) 72 Spanish-speaking Hispanic (SSH) women. OUTCOME MEASURES: Participants completed (1) the Holistic and Complementary and Alternative Medicine Questionnaire (HCAMQ), which captured beliefs about holistic health measures and about the validity of CAM; and (2) a checklist identifying past and present use of 27 different CAM therapies. RESULTS: The research team analyzed and controlled for demographic differences using linear regression, and the analysis revealed significant group differences in CAM use (P < .0001). ESW mothers and ESH mothers used more CAM than SSH mothers (P = .02). No significant differences were observed between groups for CAM related beliefs. CONCLUSIONS: After controlling for socioeconomic status, the research team found that SSH mothers used less CAM compared to ESH and ESW mothers. Employment of culturally specific measures of CAM use may be necessary to understand fully the differences in CAM use between Spanish- and English-speaking mothers as well as to understand the medical conditions that prompt CAM use.

Motivation and parental presence during induction of anesthesia: an examination of the role of ethnicity and language.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the role of ethnicity and language in parental desire and motivation to be present for children's anesthesia induction. AIM: To compare motivation for parental presence at induction of anesthesia (PPIA) between English- and Spanish-speaking White and Hispanic parents of children undergoing outpatient surgery. BACKGROUND: The effectiveness of PPIA may depend, in part, on parental motivation and desire to be present at children's anesthesia induction; however, cultural variables such as ethnicity and language have not previously been explored in this relationship. METHODS/MATERIALS: Participants included 258 parents of children undergoing outpatient surgery and general anesthesia. Parents were grouped by self-reported ethnicity and primary language spoken into English-speaking White (ESW, n = 55), English-speaking Hispanic (ESH, n = 108), and Spanish-speaking Hispanic (SPH, n = 95) groups. Measures included the Motivation for Parental Presence during Induction of Anesthesia (MPPIA) and a 4-item measure of preference for PPIA. RESULTS: The majority of parents (73%) expressed a preference for PPIA. Analyses controlling for group differences in socioeconomic status and demographic variables revealed that English-(P = 0.03) and Spanish-speaking (P = 0.06) Hispanic parents reported significantly greater levels of desire to be present for their child's anesthesia induction compared to English-speaking White parents. English-speaking Hispanic parents also reported greater levels of beliefs about the impact of anxiety on children's anesthesia induction compared to English-speaking White parents (P = 0.07). CONCLUSIONS: Parental ethnicity and language may impact desire and motivation for PPIA, which may subsequently impact the effectiveness of PPIA and child anxiety at anesthesia induction. Future research should examine the impact of parental characteristics, including cultural variables, on children's preoperative anxiety.