*Lower (no school or some primary school), Middle (some high school), Higher (trade or tertiary qualification) The themes that were identified from the transcripts were organised into: (1) "push" factors, such as conventional health services and their impact on CAM use; (2) "pull" factors such as self-responsibility for good health and sources of information about CAM; and (3) barriers to CAM use.
A multivariate model showed that only baseline non-smoking status (p<0.001), higher (tertiary) educational qualifications (p<0.001) and working (vs unemployment or non-participation in the labour force; p=0.008) were associated with increased likelihood of retention and consent to data linkage in subsequent waves of data collection.
Those who completed high school and those who had a tertiary qualification travelled 17 (p=0.02) and 23 (p=0.01) minutes less respectively on average than those without, or with only primary education to get to their facility, holding all other variables constant.
The average age of this sample was 35.3 years (SD = 8.76), 43.5% had completed a tertiary qualification (Bachelor's degree or higher), and 72.1% were women.
The average age of the sample was 35.9 years (SD = 9.2), 65.2% were women, 44.3% had completed a tertiary qualification (Bachelor's degree or higher).
The highest level of education attained was categorised into three groups: 'low', completed up to Year 10 of high school; 'medium', completed Year 12 high school and/or a technical or trade school certificate/apprenticeship; and 'high', completed a university or tertiary qualification.
Both countries have mass higher education systems that, according to the OECD, have provided almost 40% of each nation's population with a tertiary qualification.
Higher education also needs beefing up: only 22% of 25- to 34-year-olds in Mexico have a tertiary qualification, against 37% in Chile.
Only 5.7% of the domestic workforce have a tertiary qualification.
"There is a difference between a tertiary qualification and an accredited profession," said Burrell.
