Center for Quantitative Economics, Jilin University, Changchun, China.
Business School, Jilin University, Changchun, China.
BMC Complement Med Ther. 2020 Apr 28;20(1):128. doi: 10.1186/s12906-020-02910-x.
Traditional medicine is broadly used across Asian societies for various medical conditions and health concerns. However, there remains a wide disparity between users and non-use, which makes it imperative to understand the factors affecting the lay perception and utilization of traditional medicine. This study systematically examined the demographic, medical, and socioeconomic factors affecting belief in and use of traditional medicine among older adults of Shanghai, China.
We used the data from Survey of Life and Opinion on Shanghai Older Adults in 2013 with a sample of 3418 older adults aged 50 years or older. The multilevel logistic models were applied to examine the associations between faith and utilization of traditional medicine and a set of factors of the respondents, including demographics (gender, age, rural/urban residence), socioeconomic status (educational attainment, income, primary occupation), social support (marital status, social network), and disease/conditions. The associations between individual use of traditional medicine and the profile of socioeconomic development and the medical services conditions of local communities were also modelled.
We found that cardiovascular diseases, lung diseases, cancer, prostatitis, arthritis, and nervous system diseases were positive correlates for using traditional medicine. Older adults who had a cancer, a prostatitis, or a fracture had more faith in traditional treatment. Rural living, higher educational attainment, and white-collar occupation promoted the use of traditional medicine. A higher number of strong social ties and a tie connected with medical staff were positive factors of use as well.
The belief in and use of traditional medicine were prevalent among older adults in Shanghai, China. Though not conclusive, our study suggested that traditional medicine in China appears to serve two distinct functions, namely complementary medicine for those socioeconomically advantaged whereas alternative medicine for those socioeconomically disadvantaged.
传统医学在亚洲社会被广泛用于各种医疗状况和健康问题。然而，使用者和非使用者之间仍然存在很大的差异，因此了解影响人们对传统医学的看法和使用的因素至关重要。本研究系统地调查了中国上海老年人对传统医学的信仰和使用的人口统计学、医学和社会经济因素。
我们使用了 2013 年上海老年人生活与意见调查的数据，该调查样本为 3418 名 50 岁及以上的老年人。采用多水平逻辑模型来检验信仰和使用传统医学与受访者的一系列因素之间的关系，包括人口统计学因素（性别、年龄、城乡居住）、社会经济地位（教育程度、收入、主要职业）、社会支持（婚姻状况、社交网络）和疾病/状况。还建立了个体使用传统医学与当地社区的社会经济发展和医疗服务条件状况之间的关系模型。
我们发现心血管疾病、肺部疾病、癌症、前列腺炎、关节炎和神经系统疾病与使用传统医学呈正相关。患有癌症、前列腺炎或骨折的老年人对传统治疗的信任度更高。农村居住、较高的教育程度和白领职业促进了传统医学的使用。更多的强社交关系和与医务人员有关的关系也是使用的积极因素。
在中国上海，老年人对传统医学的信仰和使用很普遍。虽然不是结论性的，但我们的研究表明，中国的传统医学似乎有两种不同的功能，即对于社会经济地位较高的人是补充医学，而对于社会经济地位较低的人是替代医学。
