“It Works for Me”: Pseudotherapy Use is Associated With Trust in Their Efficacy Rather Than Belief in Their Scientific Validity
Objectives: To identify how perceptions, attitudes, and beliefs towards pseudotherapies, health, medicine, and the public health system influence the pseudotherapy use in Spain.Methods: We carried out a cross-sectional study using the Survey of Social Perception of Science and Technology-2018 (5,200...
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Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2022-09-01
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Series: | International Journal of Public Health |
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Online Access: | https://www.ssph-journal.org/articles/10.3389/ijph.2022.1604594/full |
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author | Gregorio Segovia Gregorio Segovia Belén Sanz-Barbero Belén Sanz-Barbero Belén Sanz-Barbero |
author_facet | Gregorio Segovia Gregorio Segovia Belén Sanz-Barbero Belén Sanz-Barbero Belén Sanz-Barbero |
author_sort | Gregorio Segovia |
collection | DOAJ |
description | Objectives: To identify how perceptions, attitudes, and beliefs towards pseudotherapies, health, medicine, and the public health system influence the pseudotherapy use in Spain.Methods: We carried out a cross-sectional study using the Survey of Social Perception of Science and Technology-2018 (5,200 interviews). Dependent variable: ever use of pseudotherapies. Covariables: attitude towards medicine, health and public health system; perceived health; assessment of the scientific character of homeopathy/acupuncture. The association was estimated using prevalence ratios obtained by Poisson regression models. The model was adjusted for age and socioeconomic variables.Results: Pseudotherapy use was higher in women (24.9%) than in men (14.2%) (p < 0.001). The probability of use in men (p < 0.001) and women (p < 0.001) increases with the belief in pseudotherapies’ usefulness. Among men, a proactive attitude (reference: passive) towards medicine and health (RP:1.3), and a negative (reference: positive) assessment of the quality of the public health system increased use-probability (RP:1.2). For women, poor health perceived (referencie: good) increased likelihood of use (RP:1.2).Conclusion: Pseudotherapy use in Spain was associated with confidence in its usefulness irrespective of users’ assessment of its scientific validity. |
first_indexed | 2024-12-10T10:33:08Z |
format | Article |
id | doaj.art-0bf2cf37fe28495c902e7b9397706a2a |
institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
issn | 1661-8564 |
language | English |
last_indexed | 2024-12-10T10:33:08Z |
publishDate | 2022-09-01 |
publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
record_format | Article |
series | International Journal of Public Health |
spelling | doaj.art-0bf2cf37fe28495c902e7b9397706a2a2022-12-22T01:52:30ZengFrontiers Media S.A.International Journal of Public Health1661-85642022-09-016710.3389/ijph.2022.16045941604594“It Works for Me”: Pseudotherapy Use is Associated With Trust in Their Efficacy Rather Than Belief in Their Scientific ValidityGregorio Segovia0Gregorio Segovia1Belén Sanz-Barbero2Belén Sanz-Barbero3Belén Sanz-Barbero4Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, SpainJoint Research Institute National Distance Education University and Health Institute Carlos III (IMIENS), Madrid, SpainJoint Research Institute National Distance Education University and Health Institute Carlos III (IMIENS), Madrid, SpainEpidemiology and Statistics Department, National School of Public Health, Carlos III Institute of Health, Madrid, SpainCIBER Epidemilogy and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, SpainObjectives: To identify how perceptions, attitudes, and beliefs towards pseudotherapies, health, medicine, and the public health system influence the pseudotherapy use in Spain.Methods: We carried out a cross-sectional study using the Survey of Social Perception of Science and Technology-2018 (5,200 interviews). Dependent variable: ever use of pseudotherapies. Covariables: attitude towards medicine, health and public health system; perceived health; assessment of the scientific character of homeopathy/acupuncture. The association was estimated using prevalence ratios obtained by Poisson regression models. The model was adjusted for age and socioeconomic variables.Results: Pseudotherapy use was higher in women (24.9%) than in men (14.2%) (p < 0.001). The probability of use in men (p < 0.001) and women (p < 0.001) increases with the belief in pseudotherapies’ usefulness. Among men, a proactive attitude (reference: passive) towards medicine and health (RP:1.3), and a negative (reference: positive) assessment of the quality of the public health system increased use-probability (RP:1.2). For women, poor health perceived (referencie: good) increased likelihood of use (RP:1.2).Conclusion: Pseudotherapy use in Spain was associated with confidence in its usefulness irrespective of users’ assessment of its scientific validity.https://www.ssph-journal.org/articles/10.3389/ijph.2022.1604594/fullSpaingenderhealthpseudotherapypatient attitudespatient beliefs |
spellingShingle | Gregorio Segovia Gregorio Segovia Belén Sanz-Barbero Belén Sanz-Barbero Belén Sanz-Barbero “It Works for Me”: Pseudotherapy Use is Associated With Trust in Their Efficacy Rather Than Belief in Their Scientific Validity International Journal of Public Health Spain gender health pseudotherapy patient attitudes patient beliefs |
title | “It Works for Me”: Pseudotherapy Use is Associated With Trust in Their Efficacy Rather Than Belief in Their Scientific Validity |
title_full | “It Works for Me”: Pseudotherapy Use is Associated With Trust in Their Efficacy Rather Than Belief in Their Scientific Validity |
title_fullStr | “It Works for Me”: Pseudotherapy Use is Associated With Trust in Their Efficacy Rather Than Belief in Their Scientific Validity |
title_full_unstemmed | “It Works for Me”: Pseudotherapy Use is Associated With Trust in Their Efficacy Rather Than Belief in Their Scientific Validity |
title_short | “It Works for Me”: Pseudotherapy Use is Associated With Trust in Their Efficacy Rather Than Belief in Their Scientific Validity |
title_sort | it works for me pseudotherapy use is associated with trust in their efficacy rather than belief in their scientific validity |
topic | Spain gender health pseudotherapy patient attitudes patient beliefs |
url | https://www.ssph-journal.org/articles/10.3389/ijph.2022.1604594/full |
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