Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2015 Jun;107(2):121-9.
doi: 10.1016/S0027-9684(15)30036-5. Epub 2015 Dec 2.

Home Remedy Use Among African American and White Older Adults

Sara A Quandt  1 , Joanne C Sandberg  2 , Joseph G Grzywacz  2 , Kathryn P Altizer  2 , Thomas A Arcury  2
Affiliations

Home Remedy Use Among African American and White Older Adults

Sara A Quandt et al. J Natl Med Assoc. 2015 Jun.

Abstract

Home remedy use is an often overlooked component of health self-management, with a rich tradition, particularly among African Americans and others who have experienced limited access to medical care or discrimination by the health care system. Home remedies can potentially interfere with biomedical treatments. This study documented the use of home remedies among older rural adults, and compared use by ethnicity (African American and white) and gender. A purposeful sample of 62 community-dwelling adults ages 65+ from rural North Carolina was selected. Each completed an in-depth interview, which probed current use of home remedies, including food and non-food remedies, and the symptoms or conditions for use. Systematic, computer-assisted analysis was used to identify usage patterns. Five food and five non-food remedies were used by a large proportion of older adults. African American elders reported greater use than white elders; women reported more use for a greater number of symptoms than men. Non-food remedies included long-available, over-the-counter remedies (e.g., Epsom salts) for which "offlabel" uses were reported. Use focused on alleviating common digestive, respiratory, skin, and musculoskeletal symptoms. Some were used for chronic conditions in lieu of prescription medications. Home remedy use continues to be a common feature of the health self-management of older adults, particularly among African Americans, though at lower levels than previously reported. While some use is likely helpful or benign, other use has the potential to interfere with medical management of disease. Health care providers should be aware of the use of remedies by their patients.

Keywords: complementary medicine; qualitative research; rural.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Stoller EP, Forster LE, Portugal S. Self-care responses to symptoms by older people: A health diary study of illness behavior. Med Care. 1993;31(1):24–42. - PubMed
    1. Haug MR, Wykle ML, Namazi KH. Self-care among older adults. Soc Sci Med. 1989;29(2):171–183. - PubMed
    1. Cameron LD, Leventhal H. Self-regulation, health, and illness: An overview. In: Cameron LD, Leventhal H, editors. Self-Regulation, Health, and Illness. New York: Routledge; 2003. pp. 1–13.
    1. Leventhal H, Halm E, Horowitz C, et al. Living with chronic illness. In: Sutton S, Baum A, Johnston M, editors. The Sage Handbook of Health Pyschology. London: Sage; 2004. pp. 197–240.
    1. Arcury TA, Bell RA, Snively BM, et al. Complementary and alternative medicine use as health self-management: Rural older adults with diabetes. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2006;61(2):S62–S70. - PMC - PubMed