Belief in and use of traditional Chinese medicine in Shanghai older adults: a cross-sectional study

Xin, Benlu; Mu, Siyu; Tan, Teckkiang; Yeung, Anne; Gu, Danan; Feng, Qiushi

doi:10.1186/s12906-020-02910-x

Cited by 29 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…Our results suggest the percentage of CAM use in combination with CM was high among the older (≥60) age group patients. This result is consistent with the other studies in South-East Asian countries like India, Malaysia, and China [ 19 , 22 , 25 ]. One possible explanation is that younger people seek alternative and low-cost remedies for mild issues, while elderly patients seek traditional medical aid for severe complications.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

“…These findings could point to a trend among CAM users for high-income people to seek every available alternative for their health care benefit and well-being. However, a recent study found that, in addition to the four income levels, both the lowest and highest socioeconomic groups in China demonstrated an increased preference for CAM [ 25 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Prevalence and determinants of using complementary and alternative medicine for the treatment of chronic illnesses: A multicenter study in Bangladesh

et al. 2022

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Background While conventional medicine (CM) is commonly used to treat non-communicable diseases (NCDs), complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is gaining popularity as a healthcare option in Bangladesh. We aimed to investigate the prevalence and factors associated with using CAM solely and using CAM in conjunction with CM for chronic illness treatment among NCD patients in Bangladesh. Methods A multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted, including 549 adults with a confirmed chronic illness diagnosis from three tertiary care hospitals in Dhaka city. Interviews were used to gather socio-demographic data, while medical records were used to get information on chronic illnesses. A multinomial logistic regression model was used to determine the associated factors of utilizing CAM primarily and CAM use in conjunction with CM to manage the chronic disease. Results Out of 549 NCD patients (282 women [51.4%], mean [standard deviation] age 45.4 [12.8] years), 180 (32.8%) ever used CAM for the treatment of chronic illness. Also, 15.3% of patients exclusively used CAM among the NCD patients, while 17.5% used CAM in conjunction with CM. Homeopathy medicine was the most prevalent type of treatment among CAM users (52.2%). Furthermore, 55.5% of CAM users said they used it due to its less adverse effects, and 41.6% trusted its effectiveness for chronic illness. Elderly patients (≥60 years) preferred CAM in complementary with CM, but they did not rely only on CAM. According to the multinomial regression analysis, unmarried patients, predominantly in the younger age group, adopted CAM significantly for chronic illness treatment (Relative risk ratio, RRR = 0.29, 95% CI = 0.12–0.71, reference = Unmarried). Patients in the high-income group used CAM in conjunction with CM (RRR = 6.26, 95% CI = 1.35–18.90, reference: low-income), whereas patients in the high-income group did not rely on CAM alone (RRR = 0.99, 95% CI = 0.34–2.85). Conclusion Although CM remains the mainstream of health care in Bangladesh, CAM services play an essential role in people’s health care, particularly in treating chronic illnesses. Physicians of Bangladesh should be aware that their patients may be using other services and be prepared to ask and answer questions regarding the risks and benefits of using CAM in addition to regular medical care. Thus, clinicians required to follow best-practice guidelines, which are currently not practiced in Bangladesh, when disseminating information regarding integrative techniques that combine CM and CAM approaches.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence and determinants of using complementary and alternative medicine for the treatment of chronic illnesses: A multicenter study in Bangladesh

et al. 2022

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“…Information on TCM was more likely to attract attention from older adults, especially older women with chronic diseases. A cross-sectional study focused on older adults in Shanghai indicated that females were more likely to trust and use TCM [ 53 ]. Another study showed that having chronic lung disease was significantly associated with higher TCM practitioner utilization [ 54 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Frequency of Online Health Information Seeking and Types of Information Sought Among the General Chinese Population: Cross-sectional Study

Xiong¹,

Zhang²,

Li³

et al. 2021

J Med Internet Res

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Background The internet is one of the most popular health information resources, and the Chinese constitute one-fifth of the online users worldwide. As internet penetration continues to rise, more details on the Chinese population seeking online health information need to be known based on the current literature. Objective This study aims to explore the sociodemographic differences in online health information seeking (OHIS), including the frequency of OHIS and the types of online health information sought among the general Chinese population in mainland China. Methods A cross-sectional study for assessing the residents’ health care needs with self-administered questionnaires was implemented in 4 counties and districts in China from July 2018 to August 2018. Pearson’s chi-square test was used to identify the sociodemographic differences between infrequent and frequent online health information seekers. We also performed binary logistic regression for the 4 types of online health information as the dependent variables and the sociodemographic factors as the independent variables. Results Compared with infrequent online health information seekers, frequent seekers were more likely to be female (infrequent: 1654/3318; 49.85%; frequent: 1015/1831, 55.43%), older (over 60 years old; infrequent: 454/3318, 13.68%; frequent: 282/1831, 15.40%), married (infrequent: 2649/3318, 79.84%; frequent: 1537/1831, 83.94%), and better educated (bachelor’s or above; infrequent: 834/3318, 25.14%; frequent: 566/1831, 30.91%). They were also more likely to earn a higher income (over RMB ¥50k [RMB ¥1=US $0.15641]; infrequent: 1139/3318, 34.33%; frequent: 710/1831, 34.78%), have commercial health insurance (infrequent: 628/3318, 18.93%; frequent: 470/1831, 25.67%), and have reported illness in the past 12 months (infrequent: 659/3318, 19.86%; frequent: 415/1831, 22.67%). Among the 4 health information types, health science popularization was the most searched for information by Chinese online health information seekers (3654/5149, 70.79%), followed by healthy behaviors (3567/5149, 69.28%), traditional Chinese medicine (1931/5149, 37.50%), and medical concerns (1703/5149, 33.07%). The binary logistic regression models showed that males were less likely to seek information on healthy behaviors (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 0.69, 95% CI 0.61-0.78) and traditional Chinese medicine (AOR 0.64, 95% CI 0.57-0.73), and respondents who had at least 1 chronic disease were more likely to seek information on medical concerns (AOR 1.27, 95% CI 1.07-1.51) and traditional Chinese medicine (AOR 1.26, 95% CI 1.06-1.49). Conclusions Sociodemographic factors were associated with the frequency of OHIS and types of information sought among the general Chinese population. The results remind providers of online health information to consider the needs of specific population groups when tailoring and presenting health information to the target population.

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“…This might be because of the tendency of people with high incomes to seek out alternatives for their health care treatments and well-being. Although a recent study reported that along with the income distribution both the lowest and highest socioeconomic groups showed a strong preference for CAM in China (24).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Perceptions and utilisation of complementary and alternative medicine practices among hospital patients in Bangladesh

Shahjalal

Gow

Rahman

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Background Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has played an important role in providing universal access to essential health care services globally. Conventional medicine (CM) driven health care practices are well-developed in Bangladesh; however, millions of people utilise CAM-based healthcare services for specific health conditions or health benefits due to high out-of-pocket payment (74%) in Bangladesh, while the global average is only 32%. Lack of evidence exists about the perception and utilisation of CAM in Bangladesh. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence correlates of the perception and utilisation of CAM among patients who received health care at a tertiary hospital, Bangladesh. MethodsThis study comprised a cross-sectional study with 1,183 individuals from the cross-sectional survey among patients who received health care from Government Unani and Ayurvedic Medical College Hospital in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Logistic regression analyses were employed to estimate the adjusted effect of independent factors on CAM health care services utilisation. Results Thirty-three percent of patients utilised CAM health care services, while 67% of patients sought conventional treatment before turning to CAM. CAM health care utilisation was significantly associated with young adult patients aged 26 to 45 years (AOR=6.26, 95% CI:3.24-12.07), patients without education (AOR=2.99, 1.81-4.93), and being married (AOR=1.79, 1.08-2.97). The apparent effectiveness, lower side effects, adequate patient satisfaction, and recommendations from others were the most prevalent reasons for using CAM.ConclusionCM plays a dominant role in health care provision in Bangladesh, with high-level patient satisfaction and health benefits. These results could be valuable for health policymakers as they explore prospects for integrating CAM and conventional medical services.

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Belief in and use of traditional Chinese medicine in Shanghai older adults: a cross-sectional study

Cited by 29 publications

References 44 publications

Prevalence and determinants of using complementary and alternative medicine for the treatment of chronic illnesses: A multicenter study in Bangladesh

Prevalence and determinants of using complementary and alternative medicine for the treatment of chronic illnesses: A multicenter study in Bangladesh

Frequency of Online Health Information Seeking and Types of Information Sought Among the General Chinese Population: Cross-sectional Study

Perceptions and utilisation of complementary and alternative medicine practices among hospital patients in Bangladesh

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