AbstractsBiology & Animal Science

There has been much research into equality on the grounds of socio-economic status (SES), as well as into the socio-demographics of people who attend complimentary healthcare practitioners. The purpose of this study is to examine the socio-economic status and demographic profiles of the patients attending the Victoria University Student Osteopathic Medicine Clinic. Data was collected from the files held at the Victoria University Student Clinic, specifically the patient's age, sex, occupation and postcode. Postcodes are given an index of socio-economic status, which was compiled by the Australian Bureau of Statistics according to census data. The study found that more females than males attend the clinic, that patients are generally of a higher level of SES and are frequently students or office workers. This minor thesis was written by a post-graduate student as part of the requirements of the Master of Health Science (Osteopathy) program.