Emiru Yohannes Kelifa, Adamu Betelhem Anteneh, Erara Melak, Chanie Tigist, Gurmu Abyot Endale
Department of Pharmacognosy, School of Pharmacy, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia.
Department of Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia.
Int J Reprod Med. 2021 Aug 6;2021:8829313. doi: 10.1155/2021/8829313. eCollection 2021.
Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) appears to be the source of healthcare particularly in the majority of pregnant communities of Africa due to its intrinsic qualities as well as its accessibility and affordability. Despite acknowledged benefits of CAM use in pregnancy, majority of users are unaware of its safety and effects on fetal development. The present study was aimed at examining CAM use among pregnant women in Northwest Ethiopia to provide an opportunity for future investigations on the effectiveness of CAM modalities in the management of pregnancy-related complications across the country.
This was an institution-based cross-sectional study which was conducted at Poly Clinic Health Center in the Northwest part of Ethiopia between March and May 2018. Two hundred and eighty two Ethiopian women were conveniently recruited to take part in the study. Structured questioners were used for the survey. Descriptive statistics of sociodemographic and CAM use characteristics were expressed in frequencies and proportions. Chi-square test was performed to determine the difference between CAM user and nonuser. Besides, binary logistic regression analyses were performed to examine predictors of CAM use in the study population. The result was considered statistically significant if value ≤ 0.05.
The prevalence rate of CAM use in pregnant women was 89.36% with the commonest practice of spiritual healing (65.2%) and herbal supplement (51.8%) CAM therapies. Use of CAM positively associated with marital status and previous number of children. The odds of using CAM among single/not married women were 3.22 times higher (COR: 3.22, CI: 1.07-9.64) as compared to married women. Pregnant women with no children were 3.30 times more likely (COR: 3.30, CI: 0.92-11.84) to use CAM than those women having ≥3 children. Lower odds of using CAM significantly associated with educational level (COR: 0.20, CI: 0.046-0.93) and antenatal care (COR: 0.45, CI: 0.18-1.13) in a binary logistic regression model.
A considerable number of pregnant women were utilizing CAM including herbal products as part of their maternity care. This finding provides a reference on the use of CAM for policy-makers, health professionals, and parents. Further studies are needed to investigate the effectiveness and safety of specific CAM modalities with particular focus on herbal medicinal products.
补充和替代医学（CAM）似乎是医疗保健的来源，特别是在非洲大多数孕妇群体中，这归因于其内在特性以及可及性和可承受性。尽管公认CAM在孕期使用有诸多益处，但大多数使用者并不知晓其对胎儿发育的安全性和影响。本研究旨在调查埃塞俄比亚西北部孕妇使用CAM的情况，为未来在全国范围内对CAM模式在管理妊娠相关并发症方面的有效性进行调查提供契机。
这是一项基于机构的横断面研究，于2018年3月至5月在埃塞俄比亚西北部的综合诊所健康中心开展。通过方便抽样招募了282名埃塞俄比亚女性参与研究。采用结构化问卷进行调查。社会人口统计学和CAM使用特征的描述性统计以频率和比例表示。进行卡方检验以确定CAM使用者和非使用者之间的差异。此外，进行二元逻辑回归分析以检验研究人群中CAM使用的预测因素。如果P值≤0.05，则结果被认为具有统计学意义。
孕妇中CAM的使用率为89.36%，最常见的CAM疗法是精神疗法（65.2%）和草药补充剂（51.8%）。CAM的使用与婚姻状况和既往子女数量呈正相关。单身/未婚女性使用CAM的几率比已婚女性高3.22倍（校正比值比：3.22，置信区间：1.07 - 9.64）。未育孕妇使用CAM的可能性比育有≥3个孩子的女性高3.30倍（校正比值比：3.30，置信区间：0.92 - 11.84）。在二元逻辑回归模型中，较低的CAM使用几率与教育水平（校正比值比：0.20，置信区间：0.046 - 0.93）和产前护理（校正比值比：0.45，置信区间：0.18 - 1.13）显著相关。
相当数量的孕妇在孕期保健中使用包括草药产品在内的CAM。这一发现为政策制定者、卫生专业人员和家长在CAM的使用方面提供了参考。需要进一步研究以调查特定CAM模式的有效性和安全性，尤其关注草药产品。
