Codes and Frequencies
Description
For sample adults age 18+ in 2002 who had seen a practitioner for folk medicine in the past 12 months (FOKYR) and had used folk medicine to treat a specific health problem or condition (FOKTREAT), FOKTARTHLF indicates whether the person had used folk medicine to treat arthritis, lupus, or fibromyalgia.
Related Variables
Arthritis, lupus, or fibromyalgia, was one of 72 possible specific conditions that sample adults (but not sample children) could report treating with folk medicine.
The other such conditions are:
- excessive use of alcohol or tobacco (FOKTALCTOB, 2007 only)
- angina (FOKTANGINA)
- anxiety or depression (FOKTANXDEP, 2002 only)
- back pain or problem (FOKTBACPAIN)
- bipolar disorder (FOKTBIPOL, 2007 only)
- birth defect (FOKTBIRTHD)
- anemia and blood disorders--adults (FOKTBLOOD, 2007 only)
- bowel problems and constipation (FOKTBOWL, 2002 only)
- cataracts (FOKTCATAR, 2002 only)
- chronic bronchitis (FOKTCBRON)
- cholesterol (FOKTCHOL)
- congestive heart failure (FOKTCONGHF, 2002 only)
- coronary heart disease (FOKTCORON)
- other nerve damage, including carpal tunnel syndrome (FOKTCTS)
- benign tumors or cysts (FOKTCYST)
- dementia, including Alzheimer's Disease (FOKTDEMENT, 2007 only)
- dental pain (FOKTDENPAIN)
- diabetic retinopathy (FOKTDIABRET, 2002 only)
- emphysema (FOKTEMPH)
- excessive sleepiness during the day (FOKTESLEEPY)
- fibromyalgia (FOKTFIBRO, 2007 only)
- fracture, bone or joint injury (FOKTFRACT)
- glaucoma (FOKTGLAUC, 2002 only)
- gout (FOKTGOUT, 2007 only)
- gynecologic problem (FOKTGYN)
- heart attack (FOKTHATT)
- hernia (FOKTHERN)
- hypertension (FOKTHYPER)
- inflammatory bowel disease (FOKTINFB, 2007 only)
- stomach or intestinal illness (FOKTINTEST)
- irritable bowel (FOKTIRRB, 2007 only)
- irregular heartbeat (FOKTIRRH, 2002 only)
- jaw pain (FOKTJAWPAIN)
- joint pain or stiffness/other joint condition (FOKTJNTPAIN)
- weak or failing kidneys (FOKTKIDNEY)
- poor circulation in legs (FOKTLCIRC)
- liver problem (FOKTLIVER)
- lupus (FOKTLUPUS, 2007 only)
- macular degeneration (FOKTMACD, 2002 only)
- allergy to medication (FOKTMALL, 2002 only)
- mania or psychosis (FOKTMANIA, 2007 only)
- memory loss or loss of other cognitive function (FOKTMEMLOS, 2007 only)
- menopause (FOKTMENOP)
- missing limbs (fingers, toes or digits), amputee (FOKTMLIMB)
- multiple sclerosis (FOKTMSCLER, 2002 only)
- neck pain or problem (FOKTNECPAIN)
- neuropathy (FOKTNEUROP, 2002 only)
- circulation problems (other than in the legs) (FOKTNLCIRC)
- other allergies--adults (FOKTOALLA, 2007 only)
- other heart condition or disease (FOKTOHART)
- other infectious diseases (FOKTOINF, 2007 only)
- other injury (FOKTOINJ)
- knee problems (not arthritis, not joint injury) (FOKTOKNEE)
- osteoporosis, tendinitis (FOKTOSTEO)
- Parkinson's disease (FOKTPARK, 2002 only)
- polio (myelitis), paralysis, para/quadriplegia (FOKTPOLIO)
- prostate trouble or impotence (FOKTPROST)
- recurring pain (FOKTRECPAIN, 2002 only)
- Rheumatoid arthritis (FOKTRHEUM, 2007 only)
- schizophrenia (FOKTSCHIZ, 2007 only)
- senility (FOKTSENILE)
- skin problems--adults (FOKTSKINA)
- sprain or strain (FOKTSPRAIN)
- stress (FOKTSTRESS, 2007 only)
- stroke (FOKTSTROKE)
- substance abuse, other than alcohol or tobacco (FOKTSUBST, 2007 only)
- thyroid problem (FOKTTHYR, 2002 only)
- ulcer (FOKTULCER)
- varicose veins, hemorrhoids (FOKTVEIN)
Additionally, there are 31 other conditions that both sample adults and sample children could report treating with folk medicine. For the full list of conditions, see FOKTREAT.
Folk medicine is one of 16 modalities of alternative medicine that were included in the 2002 and 2007 Alternative Health Supplements. Respondents could report treating arthritis, lupus, or fibromyalgia by 14 of those methods. (The omitted alternative treatments are hypnosis and movement techniques, which were included as treatments for specific health problems in the 2007 survey only. See HYPYR and MOVALEXYR for more information.) Analysts interested in the treatment of arthritis, lupus, or fibromyalgia by other alternative therapies should see FOKYR for the full list of alternative medicine treatments and a summary of other folk medicine-related questions, as well as definitions.
Comparability
This variable is only available for 2002. However, separate variables for the treatment of arthritis (FOKTARTH), lupus (FOKTLUPUS), and fibromyalgia with folk medicine (FOKTFIBRO) are available for 2007.
Universe
- 2002: Sample adults age 18+ who have seen a practitioner for folk medicine during the past 12 months and have used folk medicine for a specific health problem or condition.
Availability
- 2002
Weights
- 2002 : SAMPWEIGHT