Usage of herbal medicines among the elderly in a primary care unit in Hat Yai, Songkhla province, Thailand

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Usage of herbal medicine	Number (%)
No	80 (39.2)
History of use, but stopped after more than 1 year	23 (11.3)
Current usage^†	101 (49.5)

Topic	Number (%)
Reasons for use^†
Thought that herbal medicines are interesting	81 (65.3)
Herbal medicines may add benefits to conventional medicine	60 (48.4)
Health care provider suggested use	7 (5.6)
Conventional medicine was ineffective	6 (4.8)
Other	8 (6.5)
Expected benefits^†
Cardiovascular system	80 (64.5)
Gastrointestinal system	36 (29.0)
Respiratory system	33 (26.6)
Endocrine system	28 (22.6)
Musculoskeletal system	27 (21.8)
Other	60 (39.0)
Consideration before herbal medicine usage
Did not consider any topic before consumption	98 (79)
Considered at least 1 of the following topics before consumption^†	26 (21)
Product reliability	20 (16)
Safety	8 (7)
Efficacy	2 (2)
Cost–benefit effectiveness	2 (2)
Source of influence initial usage^†
Oneself because of their tradition or culture	25 (20)
Suggestion by neighbor	25 (20)
Suggestion by relatives	24 (19)
Advertising media	20 (16)
Suggestion by friends	18 (15)
Suggestion by health care providers	12 (10)
Suggestion by other patients	9 (7)
Other	13 (11)
Perceived effects after use
Beneficial	95 (77)
No difference	23 (19)
Experienced side effects^‡	6 (5)
Drug interaction awareness
No	78 (63)
Yes	46 (37)
Preferences of disclosure to health care providers
Would only report if medical professionals asked	80 (68)
Would always ask before use	16 (13)
Would always report after use	12 (10)
Would disclose only if complications occurred	8 (7)
Would not disclose about use	4 (3)
History of being asked about herbal medicine use by health care providers
No	91 (73)
Yes	33 (27)

Characteristic	Number (%)^†
Sex
Male	62 (30.4)
Female	142 (69.6)
Age (years) (median [IQR])	69.0 (9.0)
Education
Uneducated	13 (6.4)
Educated^‡	191 (93.6)
Marital status
Couple	138 (67.6)
Single	13 (6.4)
Widowed/divorced	53 (26.0)
Career
No	142 (69.6)
Yes	62 (30.4)
Salary^§
No	52 (25.5)
Yes	152 (74.5)
Underlying diseases
No	9 (4.4)
Yes	195 (95.6)
Type of underlying diseases
Dyslipidemia	145 (71.1)
Hypertension	144 (70.6)
Diabetes mellitus	64 (31.4)
Osteoarthritis	17 (8.3)
Cardiovascular diseases	14 (6.9)
Gout	10 (4.9)
Dyspepsia	9 (4.4)
Asthma/chronic obstructive pulmonary disease	9 (4.4)
Cancer	7 (3.4)
Allergic rhinitis	7 (3.4)
Number of underlying diseases (median [IQR])	2.0 (1.0)
Number of current medications ^\|\| per day (median [IQR])	3.0 (1.0)

	Herbal medicine usage^†		Adjusted OR (95% CI)	P (Wald test)	P (LR test)

	No (n = 80)	Yes (n = 124)
Sex					0.28
Male	21 (34%)	41 (66%)	1
Female	59 (42%)	83 (59%)	0.68 (0.34 to 1.37)	0.28
Age (median [IQR])	68.8 (8.5)	69.0 (9)	0.99 (0.95 to 1.04)	0.90	0.90
Education					0.03^*
Uneducated	9 (69%)	4 (31%)	1
Educated	71 (37%)	120 (63%)	4.12 (1.12 to 15.2)	0.03^*
Marital status					0.36
Couple	51 (37%)	87 (63%)	1
Single	7 (54%)	6 (46%)	0.43 (0.13 to 0.39)	0.16
Widowed/divorced	22 (42%)	31 (59%)	1.04 (0.51 to 2.14)	0.91
Career					0.28
No	58 (41%)	84 (59%)	1
Yes	22 (36%)	40 (65%)	1.46 (0.74 to 2.88)	0.28
Salary					0.85
No	21 (40%)	31 (60%)	1
Yes	59 (39%)	93 (61%)	0.94 (0.46 to 1.89)	0.85
Number of underlying diseases (median [IQR])	2.0 (1.0)	2.0 (1.0)	0.74 (0.52 to 1.06)	0.10	0.10
Number of current medications per day (median [IQR])	3.0 (1.25)	3.0 (1.0)	1.06 (0.84 to 1.34)	0.63	0.63

	Number
Number of herbal medicines used together
1	63
2	16
3	15
4	4
5	1
7	2
Name of herbal medicine used^†
Kariyat	37
Turmeric	19
Bai yanang	17
Laurel	14
Gotu kola	10
Ginger	10
Moringa	9
Garlic	7
Cordyceps	7
Collagen	7
Herbal medicine (name unknown)	17
Other	80

Publication timeframe:: 6 times per year
Journal Subjects:: Medicine, Assistive Professions, Nursing, Basic Medical Science, other, Clinical Medicine