Hispanic/Latine and NH-Black adults were more likely than NH-White adults to report sleep improvement from their primary complementary and alternative medicine therapy (aPR 1.12; 95% CI 1.02-1.23).
Cross-Sectional (n=9,092)
Yes
Does perceived sleep improvement from complementary and alternative medicine therapies vary across racial and ethnic groups in US adults?
Hispanic/Latine and NH-Black adults are more likely than NH-White adults to report perceived sleep improvement from complementary and alternative medicine therapies.
Effect estimate: aPR 1.12 (95% CI 1.02-1.23)
Abstract Introduction Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) therapies, such as chiropractic manipulation and meditation, are widely used to support sleep health. For example, among U.S. adults with insomnia symptoms, approximately 45% report using at least one CAM therapy. Individuals often select CAM therapies that reflect cultural practices, accessibility, and personal beliefs. Although studies have documented variation in CAM utilization across racial and ethnic groups, few have assessed whether sleep-related benefits vary across these groups. Methods We investigated racial and ethnic differences in associations between CAM therapies and perceived sleep improvement using data from the 2012 National Health Interview Survey. Participants identified their top and up to three of the sixteen different CAM therapies used for health and reported whether each therapy resulted in “better sleep” (‘yes’ or ‘no’). We used Poisson regression with robust variance to estimate prevalence ratios (aPRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for racial and ethnic differences in reporting perceived sleep improvement from CAM therapies, adjusting for sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. Results Among 9,092 adults, mean age ± SE was 46.3 ± 0.25 years; 58.2% were women; and 78.4% identified as non-Hispanic (NH)-White, 9.5% Hispanic/Latine, 7.8% NH-Black, 4.0% NH-Asian, 1.4% NH-multiracial/Other race, and 0.3% NH-American Indian/Alaska Native. Across groups, chiropractic/osteopathic manipulation was the most common most important CAM therapy. Across all CAM therapies tried (whether 1st or 3rd most important), perceived improvement in sleep ranged from 39.3% of NH-American Indian/Alaska Native adults to 57.4% of Hispanic/Latine adults. Compared with NH-White adults, Hispanic/Latine adults had higher prevalence of reporting sleep improvement across CAM therapies (aPR1stCAM=1.12, 95% CI:1.02-1.23; aPR2ndCAM=1.36, 95% CI:1.22-1.51; aPR3rdCAM=1.20, 95% CI:1.01-1.42). NH-Black adults, compared with NH-White adults, also had higher prevalence of sleep improvements across CAM therapies (aPR1stCAM=1.12, 95% CI:1.01-1.24; aPR2ndCAM=1.19, 95% CI:1.03-1.39). Potentially due to small sample sizes, there were no differences among the remaining racial and ethnic groups compared with NH-White adults. Conclusion Hispanic/Latine and NH-Black adults were more likely than NH-White adults to report sleep improvement from CAM therapies. Further research is warranted to determine which CAM practices offer the most effective sleep-related benefits overall as well as across racial and ethnic groups. Support (if any)
Singh et al. (2026) conducted a cross-sectional in Sleep health (n=9,092). Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) therapies vs. Non-Hispanic White adults was evaluated on Perceived sleep improvement ('better sleep') (aPR 1.12, 95% CI 1.02-1.23). Hispanic/Latine and NH-Black adults were more likely than NH-White adults to report sleep improvement from their primary complementary and alternative medicine therapy (aPR 1.12; 95% CI 1.02-1.23).