Prevalence of the use of complementary and alternative medicine in an eastern Indian population with emphasis on tribal/ethnic minority groups.

Objectives: Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) includes various therapies that are not recognized by modern scientific medicine. However, in chronic diseases, such as diabetes, the use of CAM is quite common. Data on the use of CAM are needed to understand the health behaviour of individuals and to identify possible side effects. In this study, we aimed to obtain data on the pattern of CAM use in a population in eastern India.

Methods: This was a hospital-based quantitative cross-sectional survey involving adult patients. The study was conducted simultaneously in an urban university hospital and a rural hospital. Data on the demographic characteristics of the participants and their reasons for CAM use were collected.

Results: In total, 442 participants were included in the study, and among them, approximately 50% were aged 31-50 years. Moreover, around 26.7% of the participants belonged to the tribal population, 36.7% used CAM within the last year, and 57.2% used CAM in their lifetime. Body ache and dyspepsia were the most common indications for CAM use among the participants. The pattern of CAM use was significantly higher in the tribal population (p < 0.001). On logistic regression analysis, being part of the tribal population was the only demographic factor related with CAM use within the last year (odds ratio [OR]: 3.205) or with lifetime CAM use (OR: 2.885).

Conclusion: The use of CAM for certain symptoms was quite significant in the study population, particularly in the tribal population.