Prevalence and predictors of complementary and alternative medicine use among children attending an asthma clinic in a tertiary hospital in Ghana

Abstract

Objective: The objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence and type of CAMs, and predictive factors among Ghanaian children with asthma.
Methodology: A cross-sectional study involving 110 children with physician-diagnosed asthma attending the Asthma Clinic of the Department of Child Health (DCH), Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH), Accra were consecutively recruited between February 2018 to May 2019. Data were collected with a semi-structured, pre-tested, investigator-administered questionnaire.
Results: Out of the 110 participants, forty-nine (44.5%) had used CAM within the last 12 months. The three most frequently used remedies as stand-alone or in combination were honey (80.0%), garlic (34.2%) and lemon/lime (26.3%%). In the multivariable logistic regression analysis, CAM use among children aged 10--13 years was over 4 times the use among those aged 5--9 years (AOR=4.45, 95% CI: 1.32-14.98, p=0.016), 71% less among female children (AOR: 0.29, 95% CI: 0.10-0.80, p=0.017) and 85% less among mothers in middle occupation class relative to the low occupation class (AOR: 0.15, 95% CI: 0.15, 95% CI: 0.03-0.77, p=0.023).
Conclusion: There was high prevalence of CAM use among the children attending the asthma clinic, KBTH. Adolescents and children from low occupational class are more likely to use CAM, while the female child was less likely.