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AYUYR
Had ayurveda, past 12 months
Group: Ayurveda - General — PERSON

Description

For sample adults in 2002 and 2007 who had ever seen a practitioner for ayurveda (AYUEV) and for sample children in 2007, AYUYR reports whether the person had used ayurveda in the past 12 months.

Ayurveda was one of many alternative health treatment modalities included in the 2002 and 2007 Alternative Health Supplements. For the full list of alternative health treatments covered in the NHIS, and for general background information about the Alternative Health Supplements, see ACUYR.

Definitions 

The definitions of ayurveda provided to the field representatives, and sometimes to the respondents, changed over time. The 2002 Field Representative's Manual says that ayurveda is:

a comprehensive system of medicine developed in India over 5,000 years ago. Placing equal emphasis on body, mind, and spirit, the goal of ayurvedic medicine is to restore the natural harmony of the individual. The first step in this process is to identify an individual's "constitution" or overall health profile. To do so, ayurvedic doctors identify the patient's metabolic body type (Vata, Pitta, or Kapha) through a series of personal history questions. Once established, the patient's "constitution" becomes the foundation for a specific treatment plan designed to guide the individual back into harmony with his or her environment. This plan may include dietary changes, exercise, yoga, meditation, massage, herbal tonics, and other remedies.

This definition was not routinely shared with respondents.

The 2007 Field Representative's Manual provides a different definition:

Ayurveda ... is a system of medicine that originated in India several thousand years ago. In the United States, Ayurveda is considered a type of CAM [complementary and alternative medicine] and a whole medical system. As with other such systems, it is based on theories of health and illness and on ways to prevent, manage, or treat health problems. Ayurveda aims to integrate and balance the body, mind, and spirit (thus, some view it as "holistic"). This balance is believed to lead to contentment and health and to help prevent illness. However, Ayurveda also proposes treatments for specific health problems, whether they are physical or mental. A chief aim of Ayurvedic practices is to cleanse the body of substances that can cause disease, and this is believed to help reestablish harmony and balance.

In 2007 field representatives were advised to "feel free to offer [this definition] even if the respondent has not requested [it]."

The 2002 and 2007 survey questions asked whether the person had seen "a practitioner" (for sample adults) or "a provider or practitioner" (for sample children) for ayurveda in the past 12 months. The 2007 Manual defines an "alternative provider or practitioner" as:

someone who is knowledgeable about a specific alternative health practice. This person provides care or gives advice about its use, and usually receives payment for his or her services.

Related Variables

In 2002 and 2007, sample adults with a positive response in AYUYR were asked a series of other questions (described below) about the following topics: frequency of using ayurveda; the out-of-pocket cost of the treatment; whether ayurveda was used to treat a specific medical condition, and, if so, what that condition was (this information was also obtained for sample children in 2007); any conventional medical treatments received and the timing of the conventional treatment relative to the ayurveda treatment; the reasons for using ayurveda; and the disclosure of the use of ayurveda to conventional medical professionals.

 

Respondents who indicated that they had ever used ayurveda (AYUEV) (in the case of sample adults) and that they had used it in the past 12 months (AYUYR) (both sample adults and sample children) were asked follow-up questions about their use of ayurveda. Most of the following variables relate only to sample adults, except for AYUTREAT and some variables covering specific health conditions.

  • times saw practitioner for ayurveda (AYUNO)
  • amount paid per visit for ayurveda (AYUPAID)
  • whether ayurveda costs covered by insurance (AYUINSURE)
  • whether used ayurveda for specific health problem (AYUTREAT)

Persons who indicated in AYUTREAT that they had used ayurveda in the past 12 months to treat a specific health problem were asked to specify the condition treated. There are 131 total variables for specific conditions that were treated by ayurveda, including 72 for sample adults, 28 for sample children, and 31 for both sample adults and sample children. See AYUTREAT for more detail and the full list of conditions that persons could indicate were treated with ayurveda. Analysts interested in the conditions that ayurveda was used to treat may also wish to consult the following variables:

  • condition for which ayurveda was used most (AYUTCONMOST)

  • first condition for which ayurveda was used (AYUCON1)
  • degree of help from ayurveda, 1st condition (AYUCON1HELP)
  • second condition for which ayurveda was used (AYUCON2)
  • degree of help from ayurveda, 2nd condition (AYUCON2HELP)
  • third condition for which ayurveda was used (AYUCON3)
  • degree of help from ayurveda, 3rd condition (AYUCON3HELP)
  • condition count for ayurveda (AYUCONNO)

Comparability

AYUYR is fully comparable across time. In the 2002 and 2007 sample adult questionnaires, the question read, "During the past 12 months, did you see a practitioner for ayurveda?" The 2007 sample child questionnaire asked, "During the past 12 months, did [fill: sample child's name] see a provider or practitioner for any of the following therapies? Please say yes or no to each. ... Ayurveda?"

Universe

  • 2002: Sample adults age 18+ who have ever seen a practitioner for ayurveda.
  • 2007: Sample adults age 18+ who have ever seen a practitioner for ayurveda and sample children under 18.

Codes and Frequencies



Availability

  • 2002, 2007
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Weights

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