Utilization of Complementary and Alternative Medicine for the Management of Cardiovascular Diseases Among Adults in Ajman, United Arab Emirates

Abstract

Background: As the general population is expanding their choices regarding healthcare, many are opting for complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in addition to or instead of conventional modes of treatment, for the management of various health conditions.

Aims: This study investigated the utilization of CAM for the management of various cardiovascular diseases as well as its risk factors among the adult population in Ajman, UAE.

Materials and methods: The study was conducted upon receiving approval from the Institutional Review Board (IRB). This cross-sectional study was conducted by administering an interviewer-administered questionnaire, consisting of three domains aimed at assessing the sociodemographic features and use of CAM and factors associated with the use among the respondents. A total of 414 responses were collected from adults residing in Ajman, UAE, who consented to participate in the study. A chi-square test was performed on Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS) (IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 27.0, Armonk, NY) to assess the association between the use of CAM and factors. Statistical significance was set to p ≤ 0.05.

Results: Out of 414 participants in the study, 57% of the participants used CAM before, while 43% of the participants never used CAM. Among the CAM users, 23% used it for anxiety and stress, 7.6% utilized it for the management of hypertension, 3.3% used it for high cholesterol, 3.1% for obesity, 1.9% for chronic kidney disease, 0.9% used it for diabetes mellitus, 0.5% used it for stroke, and 0.5% used it for heart failure.

Conclusions: From the results of the study, it can be concluded that the majority (57%) of the participants have used CAM before. Most of the participants utilized CAM to manage chronic conditions (81.9%).

Keywords: adults; alternative medicine; chronic diseases; complementary medicine; hypertension; utilization.

Figure 1. Distribution of participants according to visit to CAM practitioner (N=414)

CAM: complementary and alternative medicine

Figure 2. Distribution of participants according to use of CAM and modality of CAM used

CAM: complementary and alternative medicine

Figure 3. Distribution of participants according to conditions they used CAM for

CAM: complementary and alternative medicine

Figure 4. Distribution of participants according to the modality they used for each condition