A survey of predisposing, reinforcing and enabling factors which influence interest in utilizing alternative medicine

This study examined predisposing, reinforcing and enabling factors which influenced interest in using alternative medical treatments by a stratified random sample of 522 college students from a large Mid-Atlantic state university. Predisposing factors examined included demographic characteristics such as gender, ethnicity and class standing. Also included under predisposing factors were psychographic characteristics such as internal locus of control. Reinforcing factors examined included satisfaction with traditional health care and past experience with alternative therapies. Enabling factors examined in the study included cost and convenience of proposed alternative medical services.;Results indicated that the demographic characteristics included in the study were not predictive of interest in utilizing alternative medicine. Internality and belief in powerful others, two measures of locus of control, were also found non-significant.;Satisfaction with traditional health care was found to account for 9% of the variance in interest scores, therefore, satisfaction with traditional health care may be related to interest in using alternative forms of health care. Past experience with alternative therapies was not found to be predictive of future interest in alternative medicine nor was place of residence (convenience).;As for cost of alternative treatments, 64% of respondents (N = 322) indicated they would be willing to pay an additional fee per visit for such therapies. Of those who were willing to pay an additional fee for service, 47% (N = 152) indicated they would pay between ;Finally, regarding interest in the alternative therapies mentioned in the survey, student respondents were most interested in having the Health Center offer massage therapy, chiropractic medicine and herbal medicine. On a scaled down version of the survey questionnaire, Health Center staff members indicated they would like to see the Health Center offer massage therapy, biofeedback and guided imagery.