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AYUYR
Had ayurveda, past 12 months
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Description

For sample adults in 2002, 2007, and 2012 who had ever seen a practitioner for Ayurveda (AYUEV) and for sample children in 2007 and 2012, 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 Alternative Health Supplements.

Definitions 

The 2002 Field Representative's Manual defines Ayurveda as:

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 and 2012 Field Representative's Manual provide 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.

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

Related Variables

Additional information about use of Ayurveda was collected for respondents who reported using Ayurveda in the past 12 months, including variables on frequency and cost of use. Please use the IPUMS NHIS drop-down menus and search function to explore these variables.

Comparability

In 2007, sample children were added to the universe for this question. In 2007 only, the sample child universe was not restricted by if the sample child had ever used ayurveda (AYUEV). Because of this expanded universe, the number of negative responses for AYUYR is much higher in 2007. Otherwise, there are no comparability issues.

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.
  • 2012: Sample adults age 18+ who have ever seen a practitioner for ayurveda and sample children between the ages of 4 and 17.

Availability

  • 2002, 2007, 2012

Weights