USE OF COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE IN THE POPULATION OF KEDAH DARUL AMAN, MALAYSIA

Aim: To determine the use of Complementary and Alternate Medicine (CAM) for health issues and health maintenance among the population of Kedah state, Malaysia.

Method: A questionnaire based cross-sectional survey was conducted for a period of three months in Kedah state, Malaysia. The questionnaire was prepared in English and Bahasa Malaysia and distributed to the randomly selected participants according to the language known by them.

Results: A total of 571 questionnaires were distributed out of which only 560 completed questionnaires were retrieved. Among the 560 participants, female were the most CAM users (54.46%). The age group among participants with more CAM usage was found to be 21-29 years (44.64%). According to the study, most respondents who use CAM were influenced from Malay (35.36%), Chinese (24.96%), and Indian culture (17.37%). The reasons for respondents to use CAM included to promote health (n=135), prevent illness (n=124) and treat illness (n=121). It was found that most respondents used biological products (33.14%) and alternative systems (22.26%) of which, herbal products were most popular among biological products (34.69%) and Malay medicine (39.73%) was most popular among alternative medicines.

Conclusion: The main motive for CAM use was found to be promotion of better health. Most of the participants believed in using CAM as first line medication because of its perceived efficacy, being naturally available, easy availability, and also because of advice from family and friends. The guidelines on proper selection and effective use of CAM should be provided to the society.