Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use and Quality of Life in Pediatric Diabetes

Abstract Objectives: The objectives of this study were to explore the association between complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use as reported by youth, and parents' and children's reported quality of life in youth with diabetes. Design: The study design was a cross-sectional survey. Setting: Youth in Washington State participated in the SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth study, a national, multisite epidemiological study designed to assess the prevalence and incidence of diabetes in U.S. youth. Surveys assessing CAM utilization were mailed in January and April 2006. Participants: One thousand four hundred and thirty-nine (1439) youth were mailed a CAM survey. The final sample consisted of 467 youth with both CAM survey results and quality-of-life data. Outcome measures: Difference in mean scores on Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) between CAM users and nonusers overall, and specific CAM therapies were the outcome measures. Results: Of the 1439 participants approached, 587 (40.8%) returned t...