[Prevalence of the use of integrative and complementary practices and chronic diseases: 2019 National Health Survey].

Abstract

The study sought to investigate the association between having a chronic disease or condition and the prevalence of having recourse to Integrative and Complementary Practices (ICP) among the Brazilian adult population. Chronic diseases are a serious public health issue and there are limitations of Western medicine to offer effective answers. Thus, the demand for ICP has increased as they constitute a humanized treatment option, with low cost and ease of acquisition. A cross-sectional population-based study was carried out using data from the 2019 National Health Survey. The prevalence of ICP use was estimated by categories of the other variables (presence or absence of chronic conditions) and prevalence ratios (PR) were adjusted for sociodemographic variables. The prevalence of the use of a given ICP, in the last 12 months, by the adult Brazilian population (18 years of age and over) was 5.5% (95%CI: 5.2%-5.8%), and adults with a chronic condition had a higher prevalence of use (PR: 2.11; 95%CI: 1.89-2.36), even after adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics. Stroke, asthma, arthritis, work-related musculoskeletal disorders, depression and other mental illnesses, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cancer and heart disease such as hypertension were associated with a higher prevalence of ICP use.