Internet use and gendered patterns of traditional, complementary, and integrative medicine (TCIM) engagement among older European adults

This study examined how the intensity of internet engagement is associated with patterns of traditional, complementary, and integrative medicine (TCIM) utilization among European older adults, with attention to gender differences. Drawing on Wave 11 of the European Social Survey (N = 12,991), binary and multinomial logistic regression models were estimated. 21.48% of the older European adults in the sample reported having used TCIM in the past year, with 25.20% use rate among older women and 16.89% among older men. Higher internet use intensity was significantly associated with increased TCIM uptake. Older women who reported daily internet use had the highest predicted probabilities of TCIM engagement. For both genders, frequent internet use was not associated with exclusively using TCIM without reporting having had a medical practitioner consultation in the same year. Instead, more frequent internet engagement was associated with a higher probability of reporting both TCIM use and medical practitioner consultation.