ICPA Research Summary

Study:
The Quality of Life of Children Under Chiropractic Care Using PROMIS-25: Results from a Practice-Based Research Network

Authors:
Joel Alcantara, Andrea Lamont, Jeanne Ohm, and Junjoe Alcantara

Journal:
The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine

Summary:
This study surveyed children and their parents who were seeing chiropractors who are members of the ICPA using a quality of life survey called the PROMIS-25. The PROMIS-25 is an accepted standard in quality of life assessments. It measures outcomes in regards to physical, psychological, and social health. 

Parents and children completed a baseline survey along with demographic information to find out what reasons people had for using chiropractic care. Parents and kids were then asked to do the same survey after a trial of care that was at last 7 days apart from baseline.

Results:
After extensive statistical breakdown, the study showed that quality of life showed a statistically significant improvement from baseline to the comparison survey.

In addition, the study revealed the following:

• The parents of parents bringing in children for chiropractic care tend to be highly educated with 85% of the respondents having a college degree or higher.
• Almost half (49%) of the parents bringing in their kids were primarily motivated by the idea of wellness care. That means many patients are buying into the salutogenic model of chiropractic care simply because it’s good for them.
• 27% of parents brought their kids in for some sort of musculoskeletal complaint, while 23% brought their kids in for “another reason” which may be visceral related, or they may just not know why.
• Although many of the kids doing the survey were coming in for wellness care, the study showed that many of the kids at baseline showed anxiety and pain interference scores similar to children with Crohn’s Disease. After a trial of chiropractic care, the PROMIS scores improved relative to baseline and the Crohn’s scores.

Understanding This Research

• The most interesting finding of this study is that while many kids may not report a labeled condition when they come in, the surveys are finding that kids are showing signs of anxiety interference similar to kids with something as severe as Crohn’s.

Relying on conditions and symptoms will not reveal how much children are enjoying their life.

• The ICPA has taken a stance that the main objective of its research should NOT be focused on treating and measuring conditions. The goal for the ICPA is to find out if people’s lives are better and richer with chiropractic care regardless of what condition someone may present with.

The lives of children under chiropractic care are measurably improved. Participation in the PBRNs and the resulting data are important parts of supporting and advancing chiropractic research.

This summary was compiled by Jonathan Chung, DC