P04.52. Alternative and complementary health practices among college students: implications for health promotion in higher education

Results For comparison respondents were dichotomized into ACHP users and non-users – based on their response to a frequency of use survey item. This produced a group of 531 (31.3%) ACHP-users and 1,164 non-users. ACHP students were significantly more likely to be female (71.4% users versus 63.0% non-users, p=.001) and older (24.4 versus 23.3, p=.001). There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in terms of past 30 day use of alcohol, tobacco, or marijuana, binge drinking, or perceived risks from binge drinking. ACHP students were significantly more likely to report engaging in conventional health practices (p=.001), and having a higher self-reported health status (p=.007). They also reported experiencing more mental health symptoms during the school year (p=.012). Finally, ACHP students were significantly more likely to report identification with postmodern social values including interest in the environment (p=.001) and social justice (p=.001), and to having a somewhat more liberal political orientation.