Publication Date

4-23-1999

Abstract

This paper investigates the effects of the independent variables, age, exposure to acupuncture, knowledge of acupuncture, level of religiosity, physician referrals for acupuncture and physicians type of practice on the dependent variable, opinion of acupuncture. Using bivariate cross-tabulations, gamma and linear regression analysis, exposure, knowledge and physician referrals were found to have a significant relationship with opinion of acupuncture. The self-administered questionnaire was mailed to all physicians and surgeons of the Bloomington! Normal IL community who were listed in the April 1998 GTE phonebook. Respondent's ages ranged from 29 to 95 years old, the mean equaling 46.4 years old. Four types of practices were identified; 24.5% of respondents were surgeons, 7.5% were chiropractors, 34% were generalists such as internal medicine or general practitioners and 34% were specialists such as podiatrists or cardiologists. Seventy-eight percent of physicians had been exposed to acupuncture and 40% reported having above average to high knowledge of acupuncture, while 30.9% and 29.1 % reported having average and low to below average knowledge, respectively. This study indicates that the majority of respondents (66.7%) had a high opinion of acupuncture. This study is important because the more that is known about physician's opinions on acupuncture and the factors that affect it, the easier it will be to help move acupuncture fully into mainstream medicine.

Disciplines

Sociology

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