Prevalence and Public Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Traditional Medicine in Al-Aziziah, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Omer Abdulaziz Al-Yahia
General Health Directorate, Ministry of Health, Al-Qassim Province, Saudi Arabia
Abdullah Mohammed Al-Bedah
National Center of Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Ministry of Health, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Dalal Salem Al-Dossari
Medication Safety Unit, King Saud Medical City, Ministry of Health, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Sara Osama Salem
Drug Poisoning and Information Center, King Saud Medical City, Ministry of Health, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Naseem Akhtar Qureshi *
National Center of Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Ministry of Health, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Background: For several reasons, the use of traditional medicine (TM) related to complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has been rising globally. Therefore, the extent to which people are involved in TM/CAM therapies needs regular studies around the world.
Objective: This cross-sectional study aims to estimate prevalence and explore public knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) of TM in Al-Aziziah, Riyadh city.
Methods: A self-designed questionnaire was administered to 276 Saudi adults living in Al-Azziziah.
Results: Only 19.9% of participants had used TM during the past 6 months preceding the study. Most of the participants did not seek help from conventional medicine (CM) practitioners for the treatment of their disease. Furthermore, no significant association was found between education and seeking or belief in TM. Most of the responders opined that the traditional remedies have limited use in some diseases.
Conclusion: The findings of this study have important implications for physicians dealing with public beliefs concerning TM and for health planners to adopt strategies to address a growing rise in traditional medicine use by healthcare users in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Keywords: Traditional medicine, complementary and alternative medicine, conventional medicine, knowledge, attitude and practice, belief system