Musoke Phillip, Nantaayi Brandy, Kato Ndawula Rodney, Wannyana Babrah, Ssewante Nelson, Wekha Godfrey, Olum Ronald, Nakyagaba Lourita, Rhoda Nassozi Dianah, Nabukeera Germinah, Marvin Kanyike Andrew, Ojilong Daniel, Madut Akech Gabriel, Kajjimu Jonathan, Kiwumulo Joshua, Agira Drake, Okot Jerom, Bongomin Felix
School of Medicine, College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.
School of Clinical Medicine and Dentistry, Kampala International University Western Campus, Bushenyi, Uganda.
Risk Manag Healthc Policy. 2021 Sep 21;14:3965-3975. doi: 10.2147/RMHP.S332325. eCollection 2021.
The coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has created fear in people around the world. This has led to the widespread use of various herbal remedies in its prevention and treatment regardless of the paucity of scientific evidence about their safety and efficacy. This study assessed the fear of COVID-19 and the influence of media on the use of herbal medicine to prevent or treat COVID-19 in Uganda.
In the first 2 weeks of July 2021, a descriptive online cross-sectional study was carried out anonymously in the general population in Uganda. A validated questionnaire was used to collect data on herbal medicine use and the influence of media. Fear of COVID-19 was rated using the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S).
We recruited 488 participants, 273 (55.9%) were female, with a median age of 25 (range: 18-73) years. Sixty-seven (57.8%) participants had a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis. The mean FCV-19S score was 21.7 SD 5.9 with 53.3% reporting high levels of COVID-19 fear. About 57.4% of participants reported using herbal remedies either to prevent or treat COVID-19-like symptoms. Media was the main source of information, with more than 80% of the participants reporting seeing or accessing information about herbal medication use. Women (adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 1.74, 95% CI: 1.2-2.5, p=0.003) and people with a previously confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis (aOR: 3.1, 95% CI: 1.35-7.14, p=0.008) had a statistically significantly higher FCV-19S score. Being unemployed (aOR: 1.0, 95% CI: 1.1-2.3, p=0.008) and a female (aOR: 1.0, 95% CI: 1.1-2.3, p=0.012) were statistically significantly associated with herbal medicine use. Participants who used herbal remedies had a higher median FCV-19S score compared to non-users (23 versus 21, p<0.001).
The use of herbal medicines to treat or prevent COVID-19 is a widespread practice among the general population in Uganda amidst the high levels of fear of COVID-19.
2019年冠状病毒病（COVID-19）大流行在全球范围内引发了人们的恐惧。这导致各种草药疗法在预防和治疗中被广泛使用，尽管关于其安全性和有效性的科学证据匮乏。本研究评估了乌干达民众对COVID-19的恐惧以及媒体对使用草药预防或治疗COVID-19的影响。
2021年7月的前两周，在乌干达普通人群中开展了一项匿名描述性在线横断面研究。使用经过验证的问卷收集有关草药使用和媒体影响的数据。使用COVID-19恐惧量表（FCV-19S）对COVID-19恐惧程度进行评分。
我们招募了488名参与者，其中273名（55.9%）为女性，中位年龄为25岁（范围：18 - 73岁）。67名（57.8%）参与者确诊感染了COVID-19。FCV-19S平均得分为21.7（标准差5.9），53.3%的参与者报告对COVID-19的恐惧程度较高。约57.4%的参与者报告使用草药预防或治疗类似COVID-19的症状。媒体是主要信息来源，超过80%的参与者报告看过或获取过有关草药使用的信息。女性（调整优势比（aOR）：1.74，95%置信区间：1.2 - 2.5，p = 0.003）和先前确诊感染COVID-19的人（aOR：3.1，95%置信区间：1.35 - 7.14，p = 0.008）的FCV-19S得分在统计学上显著更高。失业（aOR：1.0，95%置信区间：1.1 - 2.3，p = 0.008）和女性（aOR：1.0，95%置信区间：1.1 - 2.3，p = 0.012）在统计学上与草药使用显著相关。与未使用者相比，使用草药的参与者的FCV-19S中位得分更高（23分对21分，p < 0.001）。
在乌干达普通人群中，尽管对COVID-19高度恐惧，但使用草药治疗或预防COVID-19仍是一种普遍做法。
