scholarly journals The Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine among Lebanese Adults: Results from a National Survey

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Naja ◽  
M. Alameddine ◽  
L. Itani ◽  
H. Shoaib ◽  
D. Hariri ◽  
...  

Objective. To examine the prevalence and correlates of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) use in Lebanon.Methods. A cross-sectional survey was conducted through face to face interviews on a nationally representative sample of 1,475 Lebanese adults. The survey questionnaire explored the sociodemographic and health related characteristics as well as the types and modes of CAM use. The main outcome in this study was the use of CAM during the last 12 months.Results. Prevalence of CAM use was 29.87% with “folk herbs” being the most commonly used (75%). Two out of five CAM users indicated using it as alternative to conventional therapies and only 28.4% of users disclosed the use of CAM to their physician. CAM use was significantly associated with higher income, presence of a chronic disease, and lack of access to needed health care. Lower odds of CAM use were observed among older adults and those with a higher education level.Conclusions. This study revealed a high prevalence of CAM use in Lebanon. Health policy and decision makers need to facilitate proper regulation and integration of CAM into mainstream medicine and educate health care providers and the public alike on the safe and effective use of CAM therapies.

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Asfaw Erku ◽  
Abebe Basazn Mekuria

Background. Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies are being widely used by hypertensive patients worldwide. However, evidences regarding CAM use by hypertensive patients in Ethiopia are limited. This study aimed at assessing prevalence and correlates of CAM use among hypertensive patients attending ambulatory clinic at Gondar University Referral Hospital (GURH), Ethiopia.Methods. A cross-sectional study was employed on 423 patients visiting GURH. Descriptive statistics and bivariate and multivariate logistic regression tools were used to analyze/come up with the prevalence and correlates of CAM use.Results. The prevalence of CAM use in our study was found to be 67.8% and herbal based medicine was the most commonly utilized CAM therapies. Majority of CAM users (70.2%) did not disclose CAM use for their physician. However, nearly half of CAM users (48.4%) were satisfied with the result of CAM use.Conclusions. The higher prevalence of CAM use among hypertensive patients coupled with a very low disclosure rate to their health care providers can have a marked potential to cause ineffective hypertensive management and adverse effects due to CAM use. Health care providers should be open to discussing the use of CAM with their patients as it will lead to better health outcome.


SAGE Open ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 215824402110684
Author(s):  
Ivan Souček ◽  
Roman Hofreiter

The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in Europe has intensely increased in recent decades. To acquire information about the patterns and trends of CAM use in Slovakia, a nationwide representative survey was conducted on Slovakian adult population. A nationally representative cross-sectional survey was administered to the general population of Slovakian residents aged 18 years and over. The respondents were interviewed face-to-face by professional interviewers. Data were collected during September 2019 as a part of an omnibus survey on a variety of subjects. Altogether, 82.4% of the respondents reported either regular CAM method use or the lifetime prevalence of such use. The most frequently reported group of methods were biologically based treatments (78.9%), followed by manipulative and body-based methods (54.4%), mind-body interventions (31.9%), whole medical systems (18.2%), and energy therapies (4.2%). Vitamins (71.1%), herbal teas (68.1%), massages (53.6%), religious healing (20.3%), and special diets (18.8%) were the five most commonly preferred CAM modalities. Female gender, higher income and higher education are significant predictors of CAM use. The study highlights the association between satisfaction with healthcare systems, health situations, and the use of CAM.


2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 145 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nesrin N. Abu-Baker ◽  
Christine Savage ◽  
Basil H. Amarneh

BACKGROUND: Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) is a group of medical products and practices that are not part of conventional medicine.METHOD: The aims of this study were to identify the strategies of managing minor illnesses, perceptions and significant predictors of using CAM among Jordanian parents. A cross-sectional descriptive design was used. The study was conducted in ten Ministry of Health comprehensive health centers in Jordan. A convenience sample of 328 participants was recruited and asked to complete a self-report structured questionnaire.RESULTS: Over 80% of study participants used CAM to treat minor illness for their children. Digestive system problems, upper respiratory tract infection, and urinary tract infection were the most common managed illnesses. Herbs, prayer, and aromatherapy were the most common types of CAM therapy. The most common reasons for using CAM were making the child comfortable, supporting medical treatment, and promoting health and preventing disease. The major sources of advice were self, mother or mother in law, and friend. 72% of CAM users reported that they always consulted their health care providers about CAM use. More than 60% of the study sample perceived CAM as complementary, safe, and efficient. Finally, CAM belief, father’s education, and living with extended family significantly predicted CAM use.CONCLUSION: Health care providers in general should be able to assess CAM use, provide accurate health education and encourage parents to consult their health care providers about CAM use.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivan Soucek ◽  
Roman Hofreiter

Introduction: The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM)<br>in Europe has intensely increased in recent decades. To acquire<br>information about the patterns and trends of CAM use in Slovakia, a<br>nationwide representative survey was conducted on Slovakian adult<br>population.<br>Methods: A nationally representative cross-sectional survey was<br>administered to the general population of Slovakian residents aged 18<br>years and over. The respondents were interviewed face-to-face by<br>professional interviewers. Data were collected during September 2019 as<br>a part of an omnibus survey on a variety of subjects.<br>Results: Altogether, 82.4% of the respondents reported either regular<br>CAM method use or the lifetime prevalence of such use. The most<br>frequently reported group of methods were biologically based treatments<br>(78.9%), followed by manipulative and body-based methods (54.4%),<br>mind-body interventions (31.9%), whole medical systems (18.2%) and<br>energy therapies (4.2%). Vitamins (71.1%), herbal teas (68.1%),<br>massages (53.6%), religious healing (20.3%) and special diets (18.8%)<br>were the five most commonly preferred CAM modalities. It was indicated<br>that female respondents with higher household income are more likely to<br>use CAM.<br>Conclusions: Female gender, higher income and higher education are<br>significant predictors of CAM use. The study highlights the association<br>between satisfaction with healthcare systems, health situations, and the<br>use of CAM.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivan Soucek ◽  
Roman Hofreiter

Introduction: The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM)<br>in Europe has intensely increased in recent decades. To acquire<br>information about the patterns and trends of CAM use in Slovakia, a<br>nationwide representative survey was conducted on Slovakian adult<br>population.<br>Methods: A nationally representative cross-sectional survey was<br>administered to the general population of Slovakian residents aged 18<br>years and over. The respondents were interviewed face-to-face by<br>professional interviewers. Data were collected during September 2019 as<br>a part of an omnibus survey on a variety of subjects.<br>Results: Altogether, 82.4% of the respondents reported either regular<br>CAM method use or the lifetime prevalence of such use. The most<br>frequently reported group of methods were biologically based treatments<br>(78.9%), followed by manipulative and body-based methods (54.4%),<br>mind-body interventions (31.9%), whole medical systems (18.2%) and<br>energy therapies (4.2%). Vitamins (71.1%), herbal teas (68.1%),<br>massages (53.6%), religious healing (20.3%) and special diets (18.8%)<br>were the five most commonly preferred CAM modalities. It was indicated<br>that female respondents with higher household income are more likely to<br>use CAM.<br>Conclusions: Female gender, higher income and higher education are<br>significant predictors of CAM use. The study highlights the association<br>between satisfaction with healthcare systems, health situations, and the<br>use of CAM.


2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. e14144-e14144
Author(s):  
Eliza Dalsasso Ricardo ◽  
Denise Oishi ◽  
Marcelo Oliveira Dos Santos ◽  
Renata D'Alpino D'Alpino

e14144 Background: Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use is relatively common among cancer patients. Data regarding CAM use in Brazil is scarce. We sought to define CAM use by cancer patients and investigate factors that might influence it. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of adults diagnosed with any cancer type who came to appointments at our outpatient clinic in January 2020. Chi-square tests were used to investigate the association between CAM use and age and gender Results: We interviewed 156 patients who consented to the face-to-face interview and all of them completed the questionnaires. Most patients were between 51 and 70 years-old; 56% were female and 55% had their cancer diagnosed in the last 12 months. Most cancer types were breast (17.4%), colorectal (16.7%), and lung (16.1%). More than 90% of the participants were on any active treatment. The prevalence of current CAM use was 29.6%. 58.7% of the patients did not believe CAM has anti-cancer properties, including 32.6% of patients who reported CAM use. Two-thirds of the participants have never discussed about CAM with their oncologists. Only 5.1% of the respondents would abandon conventional cancer treatment in order to use just CAM. Among CAM users, 55% referred multiple therapies use. Of those therapies, spiritual surgery was the most prevalent one. There was a significant higher proportion of females reporting CAM use (p = 0,029) as well as a higher proportion of CAM use among younger patients (p = 0,008). Conclusions: CAM use was common among our study population, especially spiritual surgery. Women and younger patients were more prone to use CAM. Although most patients would not abandon conventional treatment, many of them have never discussed about CAM with their oncologists.


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