Two Surveys, 16 Years Apart: Comparing Traditional and Complementary Medicine Use by Children With Cancer in Jordan

IF 2.3 3区医学 Q2 HEMATOLOGY

Pediatric Blood & Cancer Pub Date : 2025-10-03 DOI:10.1002/pbc.32096

Murad Sawalha, Anwar Alnaasan, Anas Alsharawneh, Ahmed Farrag, Mohammad R. Alqudimat

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background

Traditional and complementary medicine (T&CM) is commonly used by children with cancer alongside conventional treatments. However, data on its use in Jordan remain limited. This study aimed to assess the current prevalence, types, motivations, and disclosure rates of T&CM use in Jordan, and to compare these findings with those from the original 2008 study conducted in the same setting.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted in the pediatric oncology department at King Hussein Cancer Center between November 2023 and May 2024. A brief proxy-report T&CM questionnaire with evidence of validity and reliability was used.

Results

A total of 85 patients participated (response rate = 85%). Overall, 29.4% reported T&CM use, primarily for perceived safety (52%), managing cancer-related symptoms (44%), and potential therapeutic benefit (40%). Nutritional (68%) and psychological (24%) approaches were the most used modalities. Disclosure of T&CM use to healthcare providers was reported by 75% of users. Reasons for non-use included a lack of recommendation by healthcare providers and limited awareness. A statistically significant association was found between T&CM use and current therapy stage, with higher use among patients in active treatment. No other demographic or clinical variables were significantly associated with T&CM use.

Conclusion

Compared to earlier findings, this study shows a lower prevalence of T&CM use and a higher disclosure rate, suggesting improved communication and awareness. Parents used T&CM to complement conventional care rather than as an alternative. These findings underscore the importance of integrating discussions about T&CM into pediatric oncology care to support safe and informed use.

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相隔16年的两项调查：比较约旦儿童癌症患者使用传统和补充药物的情况。

背景：传统和补充医学（T&CM）通常用于儿童癌症和常规治疗。但是，关于约旦使用情况的数据仍然有限。本研究旨在评估约旦目前T&CM使用的流行程度、类型、动机和披露率，并将这些发现与2008年在相同环境下进行的原始研究的结果进行比较。方法：于2023年11月至2024年5月在侯赛因国王癌症中心儿科肿瘤科进行横断面研究。采用一份简短的代理报告式T&CM问卷，问卷具有证据的效度和信度。结果：共85例患者参与，有效率85%。总体而言，29.4%的患者报告使用T&CM，主要是为了感知安全性（52%）、控制癌症相关症状（44%）和潜在的治疗益处（40%）。营养（68%）和心理（24%）是最常用的方法。75%的用户报告向医疗保健提供者披露了T&CM的使用情况。不使用的原因包括缺乏医疗保健提供者的建议和认识有限。T&CM的使用与目前的治疗阶段有统计学意义的关联，积极治疗的患者使用T&CM的比例更高。没有其他人口统计学或临床变量与T&CM的使用显著相关。结论：与之前的研究结果相比，本研究显示T&CM使用的患病率较低，披露率较高，表明沟通和意识有所提高。父母使用T&CM作为传统护理的补充，而不是替代。这些发现强调了将T&CM讨论纳入儿科肿瘤护理以支持安全和知情使用的重要性。

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

Pediatric Blood & Cancer 医学-小儿科

CiteScore

4.90

自引率

9.40%

发文量

546

审稿时长

1.5 months

期刊介绍： Pediatric Blood & Cancer publishes the highest quality manuscripts describing basic and clinical investigations of blood disorders and malignant diseases of childhood including diagnosis, treatment, epidemiology, etiology, biology, and molecular and clinical genetics of these diseases as they affect children, adolescents, and young adults. Pediatric Blood & Cancer will also include studies on such treatment options as hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, immunology, and gene therapy.