Objectives: The aim of the study was to assess the knowledge, attitudes and practices with regards to traditional medicine in Oman and to assess the factors that lead to its use. Methods: This was a cross sectional questionnaire-based study. All Omani nationals above the age of 18 were eligible to be enrolled. The questionnaire consisted of questions regarding the knowledge, attitudes and use of traditional medicine. Results: There were 598 (out of 700) responses to the questionnaire (response rate of 85.4%) of which 552 (mean age 33.6±7.7 years; 345 or 62.5% male) were complete. Majority of the respondents (90%) are aware of the different types of traditional medicine(TM). A high percentage (81.5%) feel that it is effective. 67.8% had tried at least one method. These were older (34.5±7.8 years vs 31.8±7.2 years, p<0.001) and mostly male (72.1% vs 42.1%, p<0.001) and in full time employment (73% vs 27%). Herbal medications (65.7%) and traditional massage (60.4%) were the most common form of TM that was practiced. Women tended to go more for herbal medications (69.2%) and massage (63.4%), while, for men cupping was the most popular (65.1%) followed by herbal medications (64.4%) and massage (59.2%). Back pain was the most common condition for which TM was used with only a small percentage reporting any side effects. Conclusion: There is widespread use of TM among the urban population in Oman. Better understanding of their benefits will help incorporate them into modern health care services.
Keywords: Traditional and complementary medicine; knowledge and attitude
