Study title

Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Finland 2022

Dataset ID Number

FSD3958

Persistent identifiers

https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD3958
https://doi.org/10.60686/t-fsd3958

Data Type

Quantitative

Authors

• Aarva, Pauliina (Yhdistävä Lääketiede ry)

Abstract

The study surveyed Finns' views on complementary and alternative medicine.

At the beginning of the survey, respondents were asked about their experiences of visiting different healthcare professionals by asking whether they had visited one or more healthcare professionals (e.g., doctor, chiropractor, homeopath, massage therapist) during the past 12 months. Following this, the respondents were asked about the number of visits, the main reason for the visit, and the perceived benefits of the visit. The respondents were also asked whether a doctor had recommended any complementary or alternative medicine to them in the past 12 months. Next, the respondents' use of natural remedies was surveyed by asking what natural remedies they had used or what products their doctor had recommended for use during the past 12 months. The respondents were also asked whether they had used any self-help practices (e.g., meditation/mindfulness, yoga, sauna, art) in the past 12 months. The respondents were then asked about the frequency of using self-help practices, the most important reason for use, and the perceived benefits of use.

The respondents were then asked more generally about the benefits or harms they had experienced from using complementary and alternative medicine. In addition, the survey explored the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the use of complementary and alternative medicine, natural remedies, and self-help practices. After this, the respondents were presented with various statements about health and the disease treatment, which they were asked to evaluate. They were also asked to assess their own health status. Additionally, the survey asked whether the respondents intended to use complementary medicine in the future and whether their use of complementary medicine had previously affected or delayed their access to medical care. At the end of the survey, the respondents were asked to evaluate how important different values are to them (e.g., power, pleasure, traditions, security).

The background variables in the data include the respondent's occupational status, stage of life, age group, household size, household income, level of education, position on the right-left axis, marital status, gender, native language, and several different regional variables.

Keywords

beliefs; complementary therapies; diseases; health status; lifestyle and health; medical sciences; medical self-treatment; medical treatment methods; naturopathy; well-being (health)

Topic Classification

• Social sciences (Fields of Science Classification)
• Medical and health sciences (Fields of Science Classification)
• Medication and treatment (CESSDA Topic Classification)

Series

Individual datasets

Distributor

Finnish Social Science Data Archive

Access

The dataset is (C) available only for research including master's theses.

Data Collector

• Kantar TNS Finland

Funders

• Child and Nature Foundation

Time Period Covered

2022

Collection Dates

2022-12-02 – 2022-12-19

Nation

Finland

Geographical Coverage

Finland

Analysis/Observation Unit Type

Individual

Universe

People aged 16 and over residing in Finland (excluding the Åland Islands)

Time Method

Cross-section

Sampling Procedure

Non-probability: Quota

The survey was sent via email between December 2 and 19, 2022, to 11,507 members of Kantar Oy's online panel, which had approximately 30,000 members in December 2022. A total of 3,244 individuals aged 16 and over living in mainland Finland participated in the study. The quota was selected to correspond to national population statistics.

Collection Mode

Self-administered questionnaire: Web-based (CAWI)

Research Instrument

Structured questionnaire

Response Rate

28.19

Data File Language

Downloaded data package may contain different language versions of the same files.

The data files of this dataset are available in the following languages: Finnish.

FSD translates quantitative data into English on request, free of charge. More information on ordering data translation.

Data Version

1.0

Completeness of Data and Restrictions

The researchers have anonymised the data by removing open-ended response variables VBJ and VCP.

To prevent identification of respondents, the continuous age variable was removed from the data at FSD, and open-ended responses were reviewed and anonymised where necessary. Identifiers removed at FSD were marked with [square brackets].

Weighting

The data includes a weight variable that weights the data according to the respondent's gender, age, and place of residence.

Citation Requirement

The data and its creators shall be cited in all publications and presentations for which the data have been used. The bibliographic citation may be in the form suggested by the archive or in the form required by the publication.

Bibliographical Citation

Aarva, Pauliina (Yhdistävä Lääketiede ry): Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Finland 2022 [dataset]. Data version 1.0 (2025-08-15). Finnish Social Science Data Archive [distributor]. DOI: https://doi.org/10.60686/t-fsd3958; URN: https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD3958

Deposit Requirement

Notify FSD of all publications where you have used the data by sending the citation information to user-services.fsd@tuni.fi.

Disclaimer

The original data creators and the archive bear no responsibility for any results or interpretations arising from the reuse of the data.

Related Publications

Pyykkönen, Maija, Pauliina Aarva, Salla Ahola, Matti Pasanen, and Kaija Helin. 'Use of Complementary and Integrative Health in Finland: A Cross-Sectional Survey.” BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine 23, no. 1 (2023). doi:10.1186/s12906-023-04088-4.