Pattern, Predictors and Satisfaction with Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use among Elderly in a Rural and Remote Community in Southwestern Nigeria

Abstract

Background
Before the advent of conventional medicine, traditional medicine was the mainstay of healthcare in Africa. Health coverage for the elderly is especially important as the percentage of the global population constituted by the elderly is at unprecedented levels and is projected to continue to rise. This group of people are often afflicted by a myriad of diseases, and the concurrent use of orthodox and traditional medicine is not uncommon. The aim of the study is to determine patterns, predictors, and satisfaction with Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) use among elderly citizens in the Pakoto community, Ogun State.

Methods
This was a cross-sectional study carried out among the elderly in Pakoto community in Ogun State. The study was conducted among 197 respondents selected using multi-stage sampling. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to obtain data, which was analyzed using Epi Info software version 7.1. The Holistic Complementary and Alternative Medicine Questionnaire (HCAMQ) was used to retrieve responses from the participants. Level of significance was set at p < 0.05.

Results
The mean age of the respondents was 70 years. The most used modalities of CAM were herbal therapy (67%) and faith healing (33%). The factors associated with the use of CAM were: being 60–64 years old, being employed, having low income, being single, having a partner as a caregiver, having secondary level education, and having a polygamous or other non-nuclear family type. More than half of the respondents (58.5%) had a positive attitude to CAM use, while 55.8% were satisfied with CAM use.

Conclusion
The variations and use of complementary and alternative medicine among the elderly in the study area is relatively lower compared to reports from similar studies.