Keywords
acupuncture
health-related quality of life
surveys and questionnaires
How to Cite
Abstract
Background: the potential for the use of Acupuncture in population health and care management has been recognized by several entities, supported by a growing evidence of its effectiveness. At a time when the current challenge is the integration of Acupuncture professionals in the National Health Service, Portugal lacks representative epidemiological studies of the population using this therapy. Objective: to know and evaluate the health profile of the Acupuncture user. Methodology: a cross-sectional study was conducted with a sample of Acupuncture users from the northern coastal region of Portugal. Data were collected through a survey, composed of sociodemographic questions and the application of the Nottingham Health Profile scale (NHP). Results: the sample was mostly composed of female users, middle-aged and professionally active. Musculoskeletal complaints were the most commonly reported complaints. The medians of the different dimensions of the NHP did not exceed 12.57. Conclusion: in general, the self-perception of health status is good; however, complaints tend to affect the health dimensions "pain", "energy", "emotional reactions" and "sleep" in particular.
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