Department of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics, College of Health Sciences, Research Institute of Medical & Health Sciences (RIMHS), University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.
Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon.
BMC Complement Med Ther. 2020 Jul 10;20(1):216. doi: 10.1186/s12906-020-03011-5.
The use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) among Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) patients is increasing to manage the complexities of their condition, enhance their health, and ease complications. The burden of T2DM in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) coupled with the high prevalence of CAM use and its associated risks among patients with T2DM necessitated the investigation of the use of CAM by this patients' population. The aim of this study is to examine the prevalence, types, and correlates of CAM use among T2DM patients in the UAE.
Patients with T2DM attending the outpatient clinics in the two governmental hospitals in Dubai and Sharjah, UAE were invited to participate in a cross-sectional survey. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with participants to complete a multi-component questionnaire. The questionnaire comprised of three main sections: demographic data, diabetes-related information, and CAM use details. Data analysis employed descriptive statistics, univariate and multivariate logistic regression to assess the prevalence and correlates of CAM use.
Two hundred forty-four T2DM patients completed the questionnaire (response rate: 80%). A total of 39.3% of participants were CAM users since diagnosis. After adjustment; the logistic regression results showed that CAM use was significantly associated with age, sex, education, employment, and having health insurance. The most commonly used type of CAM by participants were folk foods and herbs followed by spiritual and natural healing and vitamins and minerals supplements. The majority of CAM users were referred or encouraged to use CAM by family (42.7%), friends (25%) or social media (17.7%). Only 13.5% of participants used CAM because it was suggested by health care practitioners. Only 1 in four of CAM users disclosed CAM use to their treating physician.
CAM use among T2DM patients in the UAE is considerably high. Health policy and decision-makers are encouraged to dedicate particular attention to facilitating proper regulation and integration of CAM within conventional medicine to protect the health and wellbeing of patients. A concerted effort by medical schools and public health authorities should be committed to educating health care providers and patients on the safe and effective use of CAM therapies.
由于 2 型糖尿病（T2DM）患者病情复杂，需要提高健康水平并缓解并发症，因此越来越多的人选择使用补充和替代医学（CAM）。阿联酋（UAE）的 T2DM 负担沉重，再加上 T2DM 患者中 CAM 的高使用率及其相关风险，使得有必要调查该患者群体对 CAM 的使用情况。本研究旨在检查阿联酋 T2DM 患者中 CAM 的使用频率、类型和相关因素。
邀请在阿联酋迪拜和沙迦的两家政府医院门诊就诊的 T2DM 患者参加横断面调查。通过面访方式对参与者进行问卷调查，完成一个多部分组成的问卷。问卷由三个主要部分组成：人口统计学数据、糖尿病相关信息和 CAM 使用详情。数据分析采用描述性统计、单变量和多变量逻辑回归来评估 CAM 使用的频率和相关因素。
共有 244 名 T2DM 患者完成了问卷（应答率：80%）。有 39.3%的参与者在确诊后一直使用 CAM。调整后；逻辑回归结果显示，CAM 的使用与年龄、性别、教育程度、就业状况和医疗保险有关。参与者最常使用的 CAM 类型是民间食物和草药，其次是精神和自然疗法以及维生素和矿物质补充剂。大多数 CAM 用户是通过家人（42.7%）、朋友（25%）或社交媒体（17.7%）推荐或鼓励使用 CAM。只有 13.5%的参与者是因为医疗保健从业者建议而使用 CAM。只有四分之一的 CAM 用户会向治疗医生透露 CAM 的使用情况。
阿联酋 T2DM 患者中 CAM 的使用率相当高。鼓励卫生政策和决策者特别关注促进适当监管和整合 CAM 进入常规医学，以保护患者的健康和福祉。医学院校和公共卫生当局应共同努力，教育医疗保健提供者和患者安全有效使用 CAM 疗法。
