Utilization of Complementary and Alternative Therapies in Youth with Developmental Disabilities

Rachel Tenenbaum; Rumi Agarwal; Marcus S Cooke; Mavara M Agrawal; Marlaina Maddux; Shanna L Burke

doi:10.1155/2019/3630509

Utilization of Complementary and Alternative Therapies in Youth with Developmental Disabilities

Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2019 Jun 25:2019:3630509. doi: 10.1155/2019/3630509. eCollection 2019.

Authors

Rachel Tenenbaum¹, Rumi Agarwal², Marcus S Cooke³, Mavara M Agrawal⁴, Marlaina Maddux⁵, Shanna L Burke⁶

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychology, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA.
² Robert Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work, Department of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA.
³ Oxidative Stress Group, Department of Environmental Health Sciences and Biomolecular Sciences Institute, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA.
⁴ Department of Humanities, Health and Society, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, FIU Embrace Initiative, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA.
⁵ Easterseals Blake Foundation, Tucson, AZ, USA.
⁶ Robert Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work, School of Social Work, Florida International University, 11200 SW 8th St., AHC5 585, Miami, FL 33199, USA.

Abstract

Oxidative stress is understood to be involved in the ontology and maintenance of different developmental disabilities. Some complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies have been proposed to modify this relationship by affecting oxidative stress pathways. However, it is unclear which of these CAM therapies are used among children with different developmental disabilities. This study examines the use of these therapies among 10,218 children between the ages of 4 and 17 using the 2012 Child Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) Supplement of the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) to highlight a potential avenue for intervention and prevention efforts. The results suggest that children with developmental disabilities are more likely to utilize particular CAM therapies that may alter oxidative stress pathways. Future work is needed to assess the potential moderating effect of these CAM therapies and oxidative stress levels among children with different developmental disabilities.