Traditional and Complementary Medicine use and beliefs during COVID-19 outbreak: A cross-sectional survey among the general population in Turkey

Karataş, Yusuf; Khan, Zakir; Bilen, Çağrı; Boz, Aslı; Özagil, Ezgi Sena Gören; Abussuutoğlu, Ayşe Büşra; Rahman, Hazir

OBJECTIVE: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused a universal psychosocial impact and individuals exposed to threats prefer to try self-care interventions and adhere to non-conventional approaches such as traditional and complementary medicine (T&CM) for preventive purposes. This study was conducted to determine the use and belief about T&CM among the general population during the COVID-19 outbreak. METHOD: A cross-sectional online survey was carried out among the general population (aged ≥ 18 years) of Adana, Turkey during the strict lockdown period (April 11 to April 30, 2020). The survey instrument included details about sociodemographic characteristics, general information, T&CM use and beliefs was distributed among eligible participants via social media channels (Instagram, WhatsApp and Facebook accounts). RESULTS: Out of the total 389 participants, almost 39.3% (n=153) of the participants were the T&CM user and 60.7% were non-T&CM user during COVID-19 in this study. Additionally, 61 (39.8%) participants reported the usage of more than one form of T&CM modalities. Most of them used herbal medicine (30.8%), followed by nutritional supplements/vitamins (23.8%). Around 33.9% (n=52 out of 153 T&CM user) of participants did not report T&CM use to their family physicians. A statistically significant difference was observed between T&CM users and non-T&CM users in gender, age, marital status, level of education, income, and prior use of T&CM (p<0.05). Social media (n=204; 52.4%) was the primary source of information for T&CM use. Overall, 33.7%, 54.8% and 39% of the participants believed that T&CM therapies are effective, have fever side-effects/safe and should be use for COVID-19 respectively. CONSCLUSION: During the outbreak of COVID-19, a significant proportion of the population reported the use of T&CM. Different beliefs about T&CM were also observed. Better-structured T&CM-specific educational programs, enhanced physician-patient communication and access to reliable information by authentic sources are needed for the appropriate T&CM use during pandemics in Turkey.