Knowledge and Attitude of People towards using Complementary and alternative medicine in Riyadh city - A questionnaire study

Abstract

The practice of CAM use is influenced by psychosocial, cultural and religious factor; it becomes essential to explore the prevalence and perception on a regular basis. Therefore, aim of this survey was to assess the knowledge and attitude of consumers towards Alternative Complementary Medicine in Riyadh city. A cross sectional questionnaire based survey was carried out in Riyadh city from Dec. 2019 to April 2020 on the residents above 18 years. Details of type of CAM practiced and its source of information and questions on the perceptions of participants regarding use of CAM like Is it safe to use alternative medicine, Less expensive/ more effective than modern medicine were asked. The responses of perceptions were on 3 point likert scale-Agreed, neutral and disagreed. Chi-square test was applied to find association different types of CAMs and perceptions with demographic variables. A value of p<0.05 was considered statistically significant. A total of (n=381) subjects responded to the CAMs questionnaire. Most of the study subjects reported social media (51%) as the main source of information for the CAMs and used herbal medicine (72.70%). Females and participants between 51-60 years showed significantly higher use of CAMs (p<0.05). Almost 40.70% and 54.4% of the study participants agreed that the CAMs is safe and less expensive than modern medicine, respectively. Researches in the area of CAM by focusing each practice separately should be encouraged so that sufficient evidence exists to use or refute any CAM practice and physicians must advise patients to consult the respective experts and work in an integrated approach for the well-fare of the patients and the society.