Uncategorized February 27, 2018

The Adams Study: The Prevalence, Patterns and Predictors of Chiropractic Usage in the United States among U.S. Adults

What it means for your practice

In this particular video hangout session, Dr. Stu Hoffman, Chiropractic Malpractice Insurance expert and the president of ChiroSecure, discusses with Dr. Gerry Club about the results of the Adams Study, which was aimed to understand the prevalence, patterns, and predictors of chiropractic usage in the United States among U.S. adults.

Here are the highlights of the discussion:

 

Why is this paper interesting AND important?

 

  • The study was published in 2017 (very current) in Spine, a very reputable journal, which deals with papers from all the time
  • The study was conducted by non-chiropractic researchers from Australia, Germany and Sweden
  • The study was based on data derived from the U.S. National Health Interview Survey, 2012
  • 2012 is the LATEST set of data available from the NHIS system
  • NHIS is “the principal and reliable source of comprehensive health care information in the United States, utilizing a nationally representative sample of the civilian, non institutionalized population of the United States.”
  • 42,366 households were eligible for participation and 34,525 households responded to the survey—a whopping 80%!

Some important figures / data to note from the survey results:

 

  • In the U.S. 24% of households have used the services of a chiropractor in their lifetime while 8.4% have done so in the preceding 12 months
  • 54.6 million adults in the United States have used chiropractic services and 19.1 million did so in the previous 12 months
  • Chiropractic services were sought primarily for back pain (63%) and neck pain (30.2%)
  • “…the majority of users reported chiropractic helping a great deal with their health problem and improving their overall health or well-being.”
  • Chiropractic usage was identified as involving “A substantial proportion of US adults”

 

Predictors of chiropractic use:
 

  1. > 30 years of age
  2. More highly educated
  3. Living in a relationship
  4. Light alcohol consumers as opposed to abstainers
  5. Persons with spinal pain, headache or migraine or arthritis
  6. Being white
  7. Living in the West

 
Reasons to use chiropractic:

 

  1. General wellness, general disease prevention: 43.3%
  2. To improve energy: 16.3%
  3. To improve athletic or sports performance: 15.4%
  4. To improve immune function: 11.4%
  5. To improve memory or concentration: 5.3%

 
Did chiropractic motivate (you) to:

 

  1. Eat healthier: 10.7%
  2. Exercise more regularly: 21.6%
  3. Cut back or stop alcohol consumption: 2.6%
  4. Cut back or stop smoking: 5.9%
  5. Eat more organic foods: 5.8%

 
Did chiropractic lead to:

 

  1. Give a sense of control over health: 32.5%
  2. Help reduce stress level or to relax: 40.2%
  3. Help sleep better: 41.9%
  4. Help to feel better emotionally: 27.4%
  5. Make it easier to cope with health problem:38.5%
  6. Improve overall health and make you feel better: 66.9%
  7. Improve your relationship with others: 13.3%
  8. Improve attendance at job or school: 17.0%

 
How important was chiropractic for maintaining health and well-being:

 

  1. Very important: 47.9%
  2. Somewhat important: 29.6% 91.4%
  3. Slightly important: 13.9%
  4. Not at all important: 8.7%
  5. Used chiropractic for a specific health problem: 66.9%

 
Specific health problem:

 

  1. Back pain or back problems: 63.2%
  2. Neck pain or neck problems: 30.2%
  3. Joint pain or stiffness: 13.6%
  4. Muscle or bone pain: 9.0%
  5. Severe headache or migraine: 4.7%
  6. Arthritis: 4.7%
  7. Chronic pain: 3.9%

 
Chiropractic helped for specific health problem:

 

  1. A great deal: 64.5%
  2. Some: 25.8 96.4%
  3. Only a little: 6.1
  4. Not at all: 3.5%

 

Chiropractic practitioner was seen because:
 

  1. Medical treatment was too expensive: 6.3%
  2. Therapy combined with medical treatment would help: 64.8%
  3. Medical treatments do not work for your specific problem: 33.8%
  4. Medications cause side effects: 18.1%
  5. It is natural: 37.5%
  6. It focuses on the whole person, mind, body and spirit: 24.9%
  7. It treats the cause ant just the symptoms: 81.9%
  8. It was part of your upbringing: 10.6%

Conclusion:

 

Chiropractic services are an important component of the healthcare provisions for patients affected by musculoskeletal disorders (especially for back pain and neck pain) and/or for maintaining their overall well-being.

For inquiries, call us today at (866) 802-4476

Check out the live hangout here!