Public Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Complementary and AlternativeMedicine in Riyadh Region, Saudi Arabia

Objectives: Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) iswell established world wide. The present work is aimed at studying the knowledge, attitude and practice of CAM by the people of Riyadh region, Saudi Arabia.Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive household survey studyof the people living in Riyadh city, as well as the surrounding governorates. A multistage random sample was taken from1st January to the end of March 2010, with a total number of 518 participants. Data were collected using a pre-designed questionnaire through direct interview. The data was collected based on socio-demography, as well as knowledge, attitude and practice of CAM.Results: Participants were nearly sex-matched, consisting of approximately 70 0Saudi and 30 0non-Saudis. About 89 0ofthe participants had some knowledge of CAM. Mass media e.g.(T.V., newspapers and radio) and family, relatives and friends represented the main sources of CAM knowledge, (46.5 0and46.3 0respectively). Nearly 85 0of participants or one of their family members has used some form of CAM before, and the most common users of CAM practices were females, housewives, and illiterate subjects (or those who could just read and write), as well as participants aged 60 years and above. Medical herbs (58.89 prayer (54 honey and bee products (54 hijama (35.71 nd cauterization or medical massage therapy (22 20were thecommonly used CAM practices. Most participants agreed that there are needs for; CAM practices (93.8 regulations for CAM(94.9 health education (96.6 specialized centers (94.8 20and CAM clinics (92.7 While only 8.3 0of participants usually discussed CAM with their physicians.Conclusion: There is a high prevalence and increased public interest in CAM use in the Riyadh region. There is a positiv eattitude towards CAM, yet most participants are reluctant to share and discuss CAM information with their physicians.