Complementary and alternative medicine use among children; A cross-sectional study from Iran

IF 1.7 Q2 Medicine

Advances in integrative medicine Pub Date : 2025-02-25 DOI:10.1016/j.aimed.2025.01.010

Monireh Sadat Motaharifard , Mahnaz Jamee , Atena Seifi , Maryam Sadat Paknejad , Masoumeh Mohkam

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Objective

Recently, the use of Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) methods has become more popular worldwide. One of the main steps to identify the status of CAM in the world is to assess the prevalence of its use among people. In this study, children's use of different CAM modalities and their related factors were investigated among a group of children in Iran.

Methods

The study was performed through oral interviews and completing a questionnaire with 400 mothers of children referred to Mofid Children’s Hospital clinics in the summer of 2021. Survey information included demographics, child health problems, CAM use methods, side effects and satisfaction with these methods in the past year. Data were analyzed using Mann-Whitney, Chi-square, and Fisher exact tests. The significance level was considered at 0.05.

Results

Three hundred and nineteen out of 400 mothers (79.8 %) believed in alternative medicine. More than half of mothers (55.5 %) had used CAM products as medication at least once for their children during the last year. The most common treatments included medicinal herbs (95 %), oil rub (41 %), and massage (13.5 %). There was a significant association between familiarity and using CAM for children with an increased level of mothers’ education. 53.2 % of mothers did not inform the pediatrician about using CAM methods for their children. The majority of mothers (91 %) received their information from relatives and neighbors, and physicians consisted only 11 % of the information source. CAM was used most often in children with respiratory tract and gastrointestinal symptoms.

Conclusion

The results of this study indicate that CAM modalities appear to be popular among children. A great majority of mothers are inclined to use CAM methods as their children’s treatments along with conventional medication and usually, herbal products are preferred. Increasing community knowledge about the proper use of different kinds of CAM is recommended.

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儿童使用补充和替代药物；来自伊朗的横断面研究

目的近年来，补充和替代医学（CAM）方法的使用在世界范围内越来越受欢迎。确定CAM在世界上的地位的主要步骤之一是评估其在人群中的使用情况。在这项研究中，儿童使用不同的CAM模式及其相关因素进行了调查在一组儿童在伊朗。方法采用口头访谈和问卷调查的方式，对2021年夏季到Mofid儿童医院就诊的400名母亲进行调查。调查信息包括人口统计、儿童健康问题、辅助医学使用方法、副作用和过去一年对这些方法的满意度。数据分析采用Mann-Whitney、卡方检验和Fisher精确检验。显著性水平为0.05。结果400名母亲中有319名（79.8% %）相信替代医学。在过去一年中，超过一半的母亲（55.5 %）至少一次为孩子使用CAM产品作为药物。最常见的治疗方法包括草药（95% %）、油擦（41 %）和按摩（13.5 %）。对于母亲受教育程度越高的儿童，熟悉度与使用CAM之间存在显著关联。53.2 %的母亲没有告知儿科医生为其孩子使用CAM方法。大多数母亲（91% %）从亲戚和邻居那里获得信息，医生只占11% %的信息来源。CAM最常用于有呼吸道和胃肠道症状的儿童。结论本研究结果表明，辅助治疗方式在儿童中很受欢迎。绝大多数母亲倾向于使用CAM方法作为孩子的治疗方法，同时使用常规药物，通常草药产品是首选。建议提高社区对正确使用不同种类CAM的认识。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Advances in integrative medicine INTEGRATIVE & COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE-

CiteScore

3.20

自引率

11.80%

发文量

审稿时长

15 weeks

期刊介绍： Advances in Integrative Medicine (AIMED) is an international peer-reviewed, evidence-based research and review journal that is multi-disciplinary within the fields of Integrative and Complementary Medicine. The journal focuses on rigorous quantitative and qualitative research including systematic reviews, clinical trials and surveys, whilst also welcoming medical hypotheses and clinically-relevant articles and case studies disclosing practical learning tools for the consulting practitioner. By promoting research and practice excellence in the field, and cross collaboration between relevant practitioner groups and associations, the journal aims to advance the practice of IM, identify areas for future research, and improve patient health outcomes. International networking is encouraged through clinical innovation, the establishment of best practice and by providing opportunities for cooperation between organisations and communities.