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

BackgroundBefore 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 t...

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Main Authors: Babatunde Akodu, Stephanie ASA'AH, Ifeoma Okafor, Taiwo Agunbiade, Moninuola Ojikutu, Olufunmilayo Olokodana-Adesalu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Faculty of Family Medicine, National Postgraduate Medical College Nigeria 2025-08-01
Series:Nigerian Frontline Medicine Journal
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Online Access:https://nfmjournal.org/index.php/nfmj/article/view/89
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author Babatunde Akodu
Stephanie ASA'AH
Ifeoma Okafor
Taiwo Agunbiade
Moninuola Ojikutu
Olufunmilayo Olokodana-Adesalu
author_facet Babatunde Akodu
Stephanie ASA'AH
Ifeoma Okafor
Taiwo Agunbiade
Moninuola Ojikutu
Olufunmilayo Olokodana-Adesalu
author_sort Babatunde Akodu
collection DOAJ
description BackgroundBefore 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. MethodsThis 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. ResultsThe 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. ConclusionThe variations and use of complementary and alternative medicine among the elderly in the study area is relatively lower compared to reports from similar studies.
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spelling doaj-art-e4b78f4807344fe599ec443d4239d8df2025-08-20T19:05:06ZengFaculty of Family Medicine, National Postgraduate Medical College NigeriaNigerian Frontline Medicine Journal2636-64872354-33102025-08-012289Pattern, Predictors and Satisfaction with Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use among Elderly in a Rural and Remote Community in Southwestern NigeriaBabatunde Akodu0Stephanie ASA'AH1Ifeoma Okafor2Taiwo Agunbiade3Moninuola Ojikutu4Olufunmilayo Olokodana-Adesalu5University of Lagos and Lagos University Teaching Hospital Idi-Araba LagosUniversity of Lagos and Lagos University Teaching Hospital Idi-Araba LagosUniversity of Lagos and Lagos University Teaching Hospital Idi-Araba LagosUniversity of Lagos and Lagos University Teaching Hospital Idi-Araba LagosUniversity of Lagos and Lagos University Teaching Hospital Idi-Araba LagosUniversity of Lagos and Lagos University Teaching Hospital Idi-Araba LagosBackgroundBefore 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. MethodsThis 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. ResultsThe 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. ConclusionThe variations and use of complementary and alternative medicine among the elderly in the study area is relatively lower compared to reports from similar studies. https://nfmjournal.org/index.php/nfmj/article/view/89TraditionalComplementaryAlternativeMedicineHerbalElderly
spellingShingle Babatunde Akodu
Stephanie ASA'AH
Ifeoma Okafor
Taiwo Agunbiade
Moninuola Ojikutu
Olufunmilayo Olokodana-Adesalu
Pattern, Predictors and Satisfaction with Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use among Elderly in a Rural and Remote Community in Southwestern Nigeria
Nigerian Frontline Medicine Journal
Traditional
Complementary
Alternative
Medicine
Herbal
Elderly
title Pattern, Predictors and Satisfaction with Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use among Elderly in a Rural and Remote Community in Southwestern Nigeria
title_full Pattern, Predictors and Satisfaction with Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use among Elderly in a Rural and Remote Community in Southwestern Nigeria
title_fullStr Pattern, Predictors and Satisfaction with Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use among Elderly in a Rural and Remote Community in Southwestern Nigeria
title_full_unstemmed Pattern, Predictors and Satisfaction with Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use among Elderly in a Rural and Remote Community in Southwestern Nigeria
title_short Pattern, Predictors and Satisfaction with Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use among Elderly in a Rural and Remote Community in Southwestern Nigeria
title_sort pattern predictors and satisfaction with complementary and alternative medicine use among elderly in a rural and remote community in southwestern nigeria
topic Traditional
Complementary
Alternative
Medicine
Herbal
Elderly
url https://nfmjournal.org/index.php/nfmj/article/view/89
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