The use of Chinese herbal medicines and their correlates in Chinese older adults: the Singapore Chinese Longitudinal Aging Study.

BACKGROUND

There are very few studies of the use of Chinese herbal medicine and their psychosocial and health-related determinants in older adults.

OBJECTIVES

To determine the prevalence of use of Chinese herbal medicine in community-living Chinese older adults in Singapore and its associations with socio-economic status, social support, health behaviour, health and functional status.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional analyses of baseline data from a longitudinal cohort study of old adults (Singapore Chinese Longitudinal Aging Study).

SETTING

Community of Toa Payoh in Singapore (total population 22800 out of 3 million).

PARTICIPANTS

community residents comprising 2010 Chinese older adults aged 65 years and above.

MEASUREMENTS

participants completed a questionnaire on Chinese herbal medicine use and other information on psychosocial and health-related variables.

RESULTS

The use of Chinese herbal medicine over the past year was reported by 25.3% of the subjects, among whom 52% reported concurrent use of Western prescription medications. Significant factors that were strongly and independently associated with Chinese herbal medicine use were limited to extensive social support (OR = 2.66-5.56), current smoking (OR = 1.35), regular taiqi (OR = 1.94), arthritis (OR = 2.36), cancer (OR = 3.15), hypnotic use (OR = 2.08), IADL disability (OR = 1.72) and poor treatment compliance (OR = 2.35).

CONCLUSION

Positive and negative psychosocial and health-related factors determine the use of Chinese herbal medicine use in Chinese older adults, consistent with the dual-pattern use of Chinese herbal medicine as health supplement and complementary/alternative medicine.