Abstract

A questionnaire investigation was undertaken to study the circumstances of life of 115 families with children aged 0-7 years suffering from asthma, diabetes and epilepsy. Their contacts with the authorized and alternative therapeutic systems were investigated. In addition, 317 families with healthy children matched for age and sex were also investigated. 89.8% of the families with sick children and 86.4% of the families with healthy children replied. The average percentage of replies was 87.2. The frequency of change of doctor was similar in the case and the control group. Among families with sick children, no association was found between change of doctor and the degree of satisfaction with medical treatment. One third of the sick children had received alternative treatment. The majority had consulted chiropractors. 73% of the parents reported that the treatment had been of benefit to their child. Among parents of asthmatic children who had received chiropractic treatment, 92% considered this treatment beneficial. Alternative treatment was more frequent among children from the higher social classes. A tendency was observed towards less satisfaction with medical treatment, information and general guidance concerning the illness among families who sought alternative treatment. The differences were not statistically significant, possibly because of the limited size of the study population investigated.