'Asking the Right Question'. A Comparison of Two Approaches to Gathering Data on 'Herbals' Use in Survey Based Studies

Abstract

BackgroundOver the last decade academic interest in the prevalence and nature of herbal medicines use by pregnant women has increased significantly. Such data are usually collected by means of an administered questionnaire survey, however a key methodological limitation using this approach is the need to clearly define the scope of ‘herbals’ to be investigated. The majority of published studies in this area neither define ‘herbals’ nor provide a detailed checklist naming specific ‘herbals’ and CAM modalities, which limits inter-study comparison, generalisability and the potential for meta-analyses. The aim of this study was to compare the self-reported use of herbs, herbal medicines and herbal products using two different approaches implemented in succession.MethodsCross-sectional questionnaire surveys of women attending for their mid-trimester scan or attending the postnatal unit following live birth at the Royal Aberdeen Maternity Hospital, North-East Scotland. The questionnaire utilised two approaches to collect data on ‘herbals’ use, a single closed yes/no answer to the question “have you used herbs, herbal medicines and herbal products in the last three months”; and a request to tick which of a list of 40 ‘herbals’ they had used in the same time period.ResultsA total of 889 responses were obtained of which 4.3% (38) answered ‘yes’ to herbal use via the closed question. However, using the checklist 39% (350) of respondents reported the use of one or more specific ‘herbals’ (p<0.0001). The 312 respondents who reported ‘no’ to ‘herbals’ use via the closed question but “yes” via the checklist consumed a total of 20 different ‘herbals’ (median 1, interquartile range 1–2, range 1–6).ConclusionsThis study demonstrates that the use of a single closed question asking about the use of ‘herbals’, as frequently reported in published studies, may not yield valid data resulting in a gross underestimation of actual use.

Current uses and knowledge of medicinal plants in the Autonomous Community of Madrid (Spain): a descriptive cross-sectional study

“…Furthermore, there is a growing trend, especially amongst younger people with higher educational level, to use natural products to succeed a healthy lifestyle and mentality [3,31]. One of the limitations found in former published studies on prevalence of medicinal plants consumption, unlikely to the one presented, is on the one hand that "medicinal plants" concept is not properly defined, and on the other hand, a list of medicinal plants is providing limiting the knowledge of their use [5]. Of the 78 identified plants, women reported using 72 while men reported 49.…”

“…The majority of the global population (87.5%) uses traditional herbal medicine to treat health difficulties [3,4]. Moreover, the growing interest in the employ of medicinal plants is evidenced by the increase of systematic reviews and prevalence surveys about herbal medicines in the last 15 years [5]. In Europe and throughout the Mediterranean area, both wild-collected and purchased from herbalists, supermarkets and pharmacies, is reemerging.…”

“…This renewed interest in traditional herbal medicine in more developed societies must be seen in the context of changes in the lifestyle, in which it enhances the concept of real and natural products. This leads consumers to perceive herbal medicine as a softer option for health issues [5][6][7].…”

Sparing Space for Weed: On Traditional Medicine and Patient-Physician Relationship

“…2005'i müteakip on yılda bitkisel tedavilerle ilgili akademik derleme çalışmaları yirmi kat artmıştır. Diğer taraftan güvenlilik, etkililik ve etkileşim konularında yeterli bilgi bulunmamaktadır (19). Türkiye'de 1985'te aktarlarda zehirli drogların satılması yasaklanmıştır.…”

Knowledge levels of doctors and nurses working in surgical clinics about nutrients and food supplements, a multicentre descriptive study

“…The promotion of these products in mass media [ 12 – 15 ] and recommendations from friends and family [ 1 , 12 , 14 – 17 ], combined with their availability without prescription and affordability [ 16 , 18 , 19 ], contribute to their increased use [ 14 , 16 , 20 ]. Nutrients and food supplements are often preferred for improving health and well-being, alleviating symptoms associated with chronic diseases [ 10 ], cancer treatment [ 10 , 21 ], pregnancy [ 22 ], and the surgical period [ 23 – 25 ].…”