The Rate of Complementary Medicine usage and its Relationship with Knowledge and Attitude of Pregnant Women at Health Centers affiliated to Tabriz University of Medical Sciences in 2016

Abstract

Abstract: Introduction: The use of complementary medicine in pregnant women is conventional, and its prevalence is increasingly growing. However, less examination has been done on the knowledge and attitude of pregnant women in terms of complementary medicine methods in Iran. The purpose of this study is to determine the using of complementary medicine and its relationship with knowledge and attitude of pregnant women referred at Health Centers affiliated to Tabriz University of Medical Sciences in 2016. Methodology: This is a correlational-descriptive study and the statistical population of the study consists of pregnant women aged 18 to 45 years old with a sample size of 369 people who were selected randomly from the health centers affiliated to Medical Sciences of Tabriz University. The data were collected by referring to 5 health centers affiliated to Medical Sciences of Tabriz University. The measurement tool was a standard questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of four parts: the first part concludes the personal information and the other three sections related to the knowledge, attitude and the extent of using complementary medicine. The questionnaire was completed by self-reported method by the research samples after providing the necessary explanations. The validity of the measurement tool was determined through content validity (referring the questionnaire to faculty members) and its reliability was measured through Cronbach's alpha. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data. Findings: Data analysis showed that out of 369 subject 52% of participants used one of the complementary medicine methods during their most recent pregnancy. 81.8% people had a positive attitude, 16.3% were neutral and only 1.9% believed that complementary medicine could have adverse effects. Among the complementary therapies, vitamins, herbal medicine and prayer were used more than any other. The knowledge level of respondents about complementary medicine was low (72.4%), moderate (22.5%) and high (5.1%). There was a positive and significant relationship between using the complementary medicine and attitude and knowledge of the participants.

Conclusion: High utilization of complementary medicine and positive attitude towards these methods on the one hand and low awareness about them show the need for women's education about the use of complementary medicine methods.