Predictors of Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use in Cancer Care: Results of a Nationwide Multicenter Survey in Korea

Table 3

Informational needs and complementary and alternative medicine use.

Variables	Number of users/Number of patients	%	Multivariate analysis*
			OR	95% CI
Needed information about the current status of my illness and its future course
No	143/751	19.0	1.00	Reference
Yes	535/1910	28.0	1.61	1.29–2.02
Needed information about tests and treatments
No	152/814	18.7	1.00	Reference
Yes	526/1847	28.5	1.68	1.35–2.09
Needed information about symptoms requiring a hospital visit
No	187/897	20.9	1.00	Reference
Yes	491/1764	27.8	1.44	1.17–1.78
Needed an easy and accurate explanation of the benefits, side effects, and application of current medication
No	240/1103	21.8	1.00	Reference
Yes	437/1556	28.1	1.33	1.10–1.62
Needed information about what I could do at home for my health (e.g., exercise)
No	191/936	20.4	1.00	Reference
Yes	487/1725	28.2	1.49	1.21–1.83
Needed information about correct diet (foods to eat, foods to avoid)
No	173/894	19.4	1.00	Reference
Yes	504/1765	28.6	1.63	1.32–2.02
Needed information about cancer-treating hospitals or clinics and physicians
No	243/1196	20.3	1.00	Reference
Yes	435/1465	29.7	1.51	1.25–1.84
Needed information about governmental financial support for medical expenses
No	137/708	19.4	1.00	Reference
Yes	541/1951	27.7	1.56	1.25–1.96
Needed information about hospice services
No	476/1925	24.7	1.00	Reference
Yes	192/715	26.9	1.04	0.84–1.29

*Multivariate analysis was performed on individual informational need, controlling for the variables in the basic model (gender, age, monthly income, cancer type, metastasis, and time since diagnosis).