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A Cross-Sectional Evaluation of Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use in a Non-urban Malaysian Population

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Abstract

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies have been an integral part of Malaysia culture for many centuries. In recent years influences from other parts of the world have gained a foot-hold in Malaysian popular culture. We investigated the engagement with CAM in a non-urban, Malaysian population. We investigated the association of CAM use with cultural influence, perceived health status, gender and age. We recruited 700 adult participants to this study across three sites in central Malaysia. We found massage, Vitamin supplements, Herbal medicine and traditional Chinese medicine to be the most popular CAM modalities with participation at 67.7%, 55.7%, 55.5% and 26.3% respectively. CAM use was equally high at 67% among those people who claimed a predominantly Malay or Chinese cultural influence. The use of vitamins and participation in yoga were at higher prevalence among female participants compared to males. There was no gender difference for other CAM modalities. There were differences between age groups for most CAM modalities, and those over 50 years tended to be the highest frequency users for most modalities. There is a high rate of CAM use in non-urban Malaysia with younger people being more engaged with less traditional modalities such as aromatherapy, yoga and music therapy.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Perdana University - Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland School of Medicine, Perdana University, Floor 9 Wisma Chase Perdana, Jalan Semantan, Bukit Damansara, 50490, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

    Yee Ern Esther Teow, Siew Ching Ng, Aisyah Hannan Mohd Azmi, Muhammad Rafie Hamzah, Jaslinder Kaur, Dhivya Sree Mathiarasu, Dhivakaran Mogan, Shu Chyi Ong, Yuvashini P. Subramaniam, Thatchiayani Sweneson, Jia Yi Monique Tan, Leh Way Tee, Amuthan Ganesh Mathialagan & Warren Thomas

  2. School of Medicine, International Medical University, Bukit Jalil, 57000, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

    Hui Yew Olivia Tee

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  1. Yee Ern Esther Teow
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  14. Hui Yew Olivia Tee
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  15. Warren Thomas
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Correspondence to Warren Thomas.

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Teow, Y.E.E., Ng, S.C., Azmi, A.H.M. et al. A Cross-Sectional Evaluation of Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use in a Non-urban Malaysian Population. J Community Health 46, 515–521 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-020-00891-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-020-00891-z

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