Ann Ig. 2021 Dec 9. doi: 10.7416/ai.2021.2484. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: The significance of herbal medicine (HM) during the COVID-19 pandemic has been confirmed. Nevertheless, limited studies have included the people perspectives on COVID-19 prevention/treatment using herbal medicine in Vietnam. Thus, this study tackled the aforementioned issue.
METHODS: Online-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Vietnamese adults between February- April 2021. Descriptive analysis, regression and Chi-squared tests were implemented for the statistical purposes.
RESULTS: A total of 787 respondents attended the study, 368 (46.8%) confirmed that they use herbal medicine/ nutritional supplements for COVID-19 prevention/treatment. Over 50% of the respondents possessed positive perspective on vitamin C ingestion. Using herbal medicine for external use as a disinfectant was mostly preferred. Respondents who had a ‘very good’ health self-perception or who lived in rural areas, were more likely to have a positive opinion in the COVID-19 prevention/treatment using herbal medicine. The main barrier for herbal medicine utilization was the deficiency of personal experience or expert advice.
CONCLUSION: The Vietnamese people commonly utilize herbal medicine for the COVID-19 prevention/ treatment. These data might help policy-makers in managing the public knowledge and practice on herbal medicine use in Vietnam.
PMID:34882168 | DOI:10.7416/ai.2021.2484
