Poli Mahmuda Akter, Hossain Md Jamil, Kholil Ibrahim, Yasmin Sumaya, Bhowmick Bishwjit, Kundu Lakshmi Rani
Department of Public Health and Informatics, Jahangirnagar University, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Department of History, Jahangirnagar University, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Front Public Health. 2025 Feb 6;13:1548728. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1548728. eCollection 2025.
The history of traditional medicine is extensive. While modern medicine is commonly used to treat chronic illness, traditional medicine (TM) is gaining popularity as a healthcare practice in Bangladesh. However, evidence regarding the prevalence, patterns, and associated factors of TM use among chronic illness patients in Bangladesh remains limited. This study aimed to explore the use of traditional medicine among adults with chronic illnesses.
A cross-sectional study was conducted among 518 adults with chronic illness from October to December 2023. Data was collected through face-to-face interviews. The Chi-square test was used to determine the association between categorical variables and multinomial logistic regression models to identify the factors associated with the use of traditional medicine.
The mean age of the participants was 43.7 (SD = 15.9) years. Among the respondents, 8.3% used traditional medicine and 5.2% used both traditional and modern medicine. Homeopathy, herbal medicine, and ayurveda were used by 69, 23, and 9%, respectively. Bivariate analysis revealed that gender ( = 0.014), educational qualification ( = 0.010), monthly income ( < 0.001), occupation ( = 0.002) and place of residence ( < 0.001) were statistically significantly associated with traditional medicine use. Among the respondents, 22.9% of people who used traditional medicine claimed that it was effective for disease management. Multinomial logistic regression revealed that rural individuals were seven times more likely to use TM compared to urban residents(AOR = 7.545, 95% CI: 2.933, 19.412, < 0.001).
This study revealed that individuals living in rural areas with lower monthly incomes were more likely to use traditional medicine for the treatment of chronic illnesses. Older individuals utilized it more compared to younger ones. Additionally, the study highlighted the perceived effectiveness of traditional medicine in managing chronic illnesses. These findings emphasize the need for a collaborative healthcare approach that integrates traditional medicine with modern practices to better address the diverse needs of populations.
传统医学历史悠久。虽然现代医学常用于治疗慢性病，但传统医学在孟加拉国作为一种医疗保健方式正日益受到欢迎。然而，关于孟加拉国慢性病患者中传统医学使用的患病率、模式及相关因素的证据仍然有限。本研究旨在探讨慢性病成年人对传统医学的使用情况。
2023年10月至12月对518名慢性病成年人进行了一项横断面研究。通过面对面访谈收集数据。采用卡方检验确定分类变量之间的关联，并使用多项逻辑回归模型识别与传统医学使用相关的因素。
参与者的平均年龄为43.7（标准差=15.9）岁。在受访者中，8.3%使用传统医学，5.2%同时使用传统医学和现代医学。分别有69%、23%和9%的人使用顺势疗法、草药和阿育吠陀医学。双变量分析显示，性别（=0.014）、教育程度（=0.010）、月收入（<0.001）、职业（=0.002）和居住地点（<0.001）与传统医学使用在统计学上有显著关联。在受访者中，22.9%使用传统医学的人声称其对疾病管理有效。多项逻辑回归显示，农村居民使用传统医学的可能性是城市居民的七倍（优势比=7.545，95%置信区间：2.933，19.412，<0.001）。
本研究表明，月收入较低的农村地区居民更有可能使用传统医学治疗慢性病。老年人比年轻人更多地使用传统医学。此外，该研究强调了传统医学在管理慢性病方面的感知有效性。这些发现强调了需要一种将传统医学与现代实践相结合的协作式医疗保健方法，以更好地满足不同人群的多样化需求。
