Public knowledge about traditional and complementary medicine

Abstract

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate public knowledge about traditional and complementarymedicine.Methods: In a physical medicine and rehabilitation hospital, questionnaires were administered to 534volunteers. The questionnaires comprised of questions regarding demographic data such as age, gender andeducational level and 16 additional questions about traditional and complementary medicine defitions. Thesedefinitions were directly adopted from Ministry of Health Department of Traditional and ComplementeryMedical Practices. The results were recorded and statistical analysis were carried out.Results: The volunteers were 44.6% male and 55.4% female). Acupuncture definition was known to 57.7%volunteers; this rate was 26.6% in phytotherapy, 32.2% in apitherapy, 43.4% in hypnosis, 15.2% inhirudotherapy, 28.7% in homeopathy, 11.9% in chiropractic, 32.2% in cupping therapy, 40.4% in wet cuppingtherapy, 29% in maggot therapy, 27.3% in mesotherapy, 18% in prolotherapy, 22.1% in osteopathy, 38.8% inozone therapy, 40.6% in reflexology, 55.2% in music therapy. Women’s correct answers regarding hypnosis,reflexology and music therapy were found to be statistically significantly higher than men. Acupuncture andosteopathy definitions are better known to 18-30 years old volunteers than volunteers that are older than 65years of age. Apitherapy, homeopathy, cupping, wet cupping, maggot therapy, mesotherapy, prolotherapy, ozontherapy, reflexology were less known by the older population; as the age increased the correct answers forthese therapies decreased. In addition, correct answer ratio increased with the educational level, in acupuncture,apitherapy, phytotherapy, hypnosis, chariopractic, cupping, wet cupping, mesotherapy, ozone therapy andreflexology.Conclusions: The traditional and complementary therapies need to be explained to the public. Women aremore intersted in some therapies than men. Public knowledge about the definition of most traditional andcomplementary therapies increases with educational level. People with different demographic properties havedifferent levels of awareness regarding traditional and complementary therapies. For example while elderpeople require more basic training about these methods in general, young and highly educated women whoalready have some awareness about these methods can go through more elaborate training programs whichare designed to guide them to benefit more from these therapies.