The 94-member third-year class was composed of 67% men and 33% women. Of the 78 students who attended the didactic session, 32% were women. The mean age was 26.2 years (SD, 3.01). No student refused to complete the survey.
Seventy percent of the group believed that more than 50% of Americans were currently using CAM. All but 1 student stated that the demand for CAM by the public was increasing.
Most of the students (89%) indicated they had been exposed to CAM by public and professional media or from the anecdotal experiences of patients, family, or friends. Exposure to friends and colleagues who practice CAM occurred in 59%, to personal treatment by a CAM practitioner in 13%, and to formal training in complementary therapies in 5%. The nature of this formal training was not identified.
The students’ opinions about CAM in general are listed in Table I.