Traditional and complementary medicine use and beliefs during COVID-19 outbreak: A cross-sectional survey among the general population in Turkey

OBJECTIVE: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused a universal psychosocial impact, with many individuals exposed to threats preferring to try self-care interventions and non-conventional approaches such as traditional and complementary medicine (T&CM) for preventive purposes. This study was conducted to determine the use of and beliefs about T&CM among a subset of the general Turkish population during the COVID-19 outbreak. METHOD: A cross-sectional online survey was carried out among the general population (aged ≥ 18 years) of Adana, Turkey during the strict lockdown period (April 11 to April 30, 2020). The survey instrument included details about sociodemographic characteristics, general information, T&CM use and beliefs. It was distributed among eligible participants via social media channels (Instagram, WhatsApp and Facebook accounts). RESULTS: Out of a total 389 participants, 39.3% (n = 153) used T&CM and 60.7% were non-T&CM users during COVID-19. Of those using T&CM, 61 (39.8%) reported the usage of more than one form of T&CM, mostly herbal medicine (30.8%), followed by nutritional supplements/vitamins (23.8%). 33.9% (n = 52) of participants using T&CM did not report T&CM use to theirmedical physicians. A statistically significant difference was observed between T&CM users and non-T&CM users in gender, age, marital status, level of education, income, and prior use of T&CM (p < 0.05). Social media (n = 204; 52.4%) was the primary source of information for T&CM use. Overall, 33.7%, 54.8% and 39% of participants in this stduy believed that T&CM therapies are effective, have fever side-effects/safe and should be use for COVID-19, respectively. CONCLUSION: During the outbreak of COVID-19, a significant proportion of the population reported the use of T&CM, with different beliefs about T&CM being observed. Better-structured T&CM-specific educational programs, enhanced physician-patient communication and access to reliable information are needed to ensure appropriate T&CM use during pandemics in Turkey.