A cross-sectional study of herbal medicine use and contributing factors among pregnant women on antenatal care follow-up at Dessie Referral Hospital, Northeast Ethiopia

Abstract

Background Herbal medicines are widely used in the world especially in developing countries. Pregnant women use herbal products to treat pregnancy related illnesses due to prior experience of herbal medicine use and easy accessibility of the products with less cost. However, herbal products could affect fetal growth and contribute to maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. Herbal drug use during pregnancy is not well studied in Ethiopia specifically in northeast Ethiopia. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 254 pregnant women on antenatal care follow-up at Dessie referral hospital. Semi-structured questionnaires were used for data collection. After collection, data were coded, entered and analyzed by SPSS version 20. Chi squared test and Logistic regression were used to evaluate the association between dependent and independent variables. Result Among the total of 254 respondents, 130 (51.2%) used herbal drugs during current pregnancy. The most commonly mentioned reason for herbal drug use was “herbal medicines are accessible without prescription” (43.1%). The herbal medicines used were Ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) (43.8%), followed by Garlic (Allium sativum L.) (23.8%), Damakese (Ocimum lamiifolium Hochst. ex Benth.) (21.5%) and Tena-adam (Ruta chalepensis L.) (10.8%). The indications for herbal drug use were nausea/vomiting (43.8%), headache (30.8%) and common cold (25.4%). The most commonly mentioned sources of information on herbal medicine were families and friends (80.0%) followed by neighbors (12.3%), and the most commonly cited sources of herbal products were market (67.7%) and self-preparation (20.0%). Being illiterate or having only primary school education (Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR]: 3.717, 95% CI: 0.992-13.928), having secondary school education background (AOR: 3.645, 95% CI: 1.394-9.534), and poor monthly income (AOR: 7.234, 95% CI: 2.192-23.877) were the variables that showed significant association with herbal drug use during current pregnancy. Conclusion This study showed that half of the sampled pregnant women used herbal medicine during current pregnancy, and education status and monthly income level of the women were associated with herbal drug use.

Patient–physician communication on herbal medicine use during pregnancy: a systematic review and meta-analysis

“…Among 111 studies, 102 studies were cross-sectional in design 27 61–161. Three studies used mixed-method approaches,162–164 and six studies had non-cross-sectional designs (ie, longitudinal and case–control),165–170 but reported cross-sectional data on HM use during pregnancy (online supplemental appendix 6).…”

“…Three studies used mixed-method approaches,162–164 and six studies had non-cross-sectional designs (ie, longitudinal and case–control),165–170 but reported cross-sectional data on HM use during pregnancy (online supplemental appendix 6). Regarding the geographical distribution of included studies, a majority of them were conducted in Africa 66 69 77 81 82 89 91 95 98 100 101 105 106 115 116 119 121–123 129 132–135 137–140 143 144 146 150 153 156 158–164. Lastly, 21 out of 111 studies presented findings related to pregnant women’s disclosure of HM use to their healthcare providers 27 70 73 83 85 86 91 109 110 115 117 122 125 126 129 133 142 149 155 160 164…”

Prevalence, motivation, and associated factors of medicinal herbs consumption in pregnant women from Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office: a systematic review

“… 2022 ), 51.2%-65.6% in Ethiopia (Belayneh et al. 2022 ; Wake and Fitie 2022 ), 71.80% in Bangladesh (Jahan et al. 2022 ), and 67.45% in Morocco (Kamel et al.…”

“… 2014 ), and Ethiopia (Belayneh et al. 2022 ). In addition, it was observed that some of those women perceived that they had better knowledge about herbal medicine than the physicians/nurses and would persist in using it against medical advice.…”

Experiences and challenges of African traditional medicine: lessons from COVID-19 pandemic

“…The absence of a two-way referral system and linkage between ATMs and conventional health systems in most African nations creates mistrust between the two systems to the detriment of patients. As a result, most patients may not disclose ATMs use, thus increasing the potential for adverse reactions and the possibility of delayed diagnosis, among other risks 39 40. The unregulated status of many THPs and their medicines also creates accountability gaps increasing the potential for sub-standard and counterfeit products, professional malpractice and unethical conduct.…”