Assessment of Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Toward Traditional and Complementary Medicines among the General Public in Malaysia

Abstract

Introduction: Traditional and complementary medicines (TCM) are widely used for disease management in Malaysia. This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAPs) toward TCM among the general public users in Malaysia. Methods: The study was a cross-sectional study using a self-administered questionnaire to evaluate the KAPs regarding TCM among the general public users in Malaysia. The study involved adult partcipants aged 18 years and above recruited across all the regions in Malaysia using convenience sampling from November 2018 to May 2019. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results: A total of 562 responses were included in the study. The participants were predominantly females (68.7%), aged 30 years and below (61.4%), and of Malay ethnic background (45.9%). Most participants reported using TCM to alleviate specific symptoms (74.0%) and promote body healing (71.5%). However, 56.5% of participants acknowledged inadequate knowledge of TCM. Furthermore, almost half of the participants (49.5%) do not disclose their TCM usage to medical doctors. The primary motivations for TCM use were its perceived naturalness (73.3%) and the belief in its lower incidence of adverse effects (40.2%). Additionally, 60.5% of participants were unaware of the necessity for TCM products to be registered with the relevant health authority in Malaysia. Conclusion: This study indicates that most TCM users in Malaysia do not have adequate knowledge of TCM products. However, the majority reported positive attitudes and practices toward the TCM. These findings provide valuable insights for designing interventions to improve the rational and safe use of TCM.