Background: Curanderismo ("the healing") is a centuries-old synthesis of Me
xican Indian culture and beliefs.
Objective: To evaluate the rate of use of curanderismo among, Hispanic subj
ects seeking medical care at the Denver Health Medical Center, Denver, Cole
.
Methods: We conducted a survey of 405 Hispanic subjects attending outpatien
t primary and urgent care clinics at Denver Health Medical Center, the publ
ic hospital system for Denver. The main outcome measure was in dependent pr
edictors of use of curanderos.
Results: Of the 405 subjects, 118 (29.1%) (95% confidence interval, 20.9-37
.3) had been to a curandero at some time in their lives. Of all the subject
s, 91.3% knew what a curandero was. Univariate analyses demonstrated an ass
ociation between those who had been to a curandero and level of income, lev
el of education, and whether the subject was bilingual. The results of fitt
ing a stepwise logistic regression model revealed an independent associatio
n with subjects who had been to a curandero and revel of household income (
> $20 000 vs < $10 000), with an odds ratio of 2.19 (95% confidence interva
l, 1.20-4.01) (P=.01), and level of education (post-high school vs elementa
ry school), with an odds ratio of 3.16 (95% confidence interval, 1.45-6.86)
(P=.004).
Conclusions: Many Hispanic patients who receive their health care at a publ
ic hospital system use the services of curanderos. This potentially has imp
ortant implications for their health care.