Table 2.
Epidemiology and characteristics of traditional medicine use stratified by diabetes and diabetes risk status; CKD-AFRIKA
| Diabetes Absent; n = 436 (95 % CI) | With Diabetes; n = 45 (%, 95 % CI) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Low risk (n = 352) | Increased risk (n = 84) | ||
| Prevalence | |||
| …of TM Use | 60.3 % (48.9–70.7) | 56.7 % (43.4–69.2) | 77.1 % (58.5–89.0) |
| …of concurrent TM and Biomedicine Use | 4.9 % (2.7–8.9) | 2.6 % (0.8–7.6) | 37.6 % (20.5–58.4) |
| Incidence of TM Use (per year) | |||
| 1–5 times | 47.2 % (38.8–55.7) | 32.0 % (19.9–47.1) | 45.3 % (27.8–64.0) |
| 6–10 times | 7.7 % (4.6–12.6) | 17.0 % (7.8–33.0) | 5.2 % (1.5–16.1) |
| >10 times | 5.4 % (3.1–9.4) | 7.1 % (2.6–18.0) | 26.7 % (10.2–53.8) |
| Reasons for TM Use | |||
| More Effective | 83.3 % (74.6–89.4) | 81.4 % (62.8–91.9) | 79.6 % (40.4–95.7) |
| Lower Cost | 60.1 % (48.2–70.9) | 64.5 % (46.4–79.3) | 55.2 % (32.2–76.2) |
| Easier to Access | 69.9 % (61.0–77.6) | 61.6 % (45.0–75.8) | 59.1 % (30.7–82.5) |
| Safer | 43.4 % (31.6–56.1) | 39.1 % (25.8–54.2) | 39.5 % (20.4–62.5) |
| More Traditional/Religious | 30.4 % (23.4–38.4) | 29.7 % (18.0–44.8) | 42.0 % (24.1–62.3) |
| Modes of Healthcare Access | |||
| Medical Doctors | 97.3 % (93.4–98.9) | 97.2 % (85.3–99.5) | 90.5 % (58.6–98.5) |
| Family and Elders | 50.7 % (38.0–63.4) | 55.4 % (34.4–74.6) | 69.0 % (42.8–86.9) |
| Traditional Healers | 5.6 % (2.7–11.0) | 9.9 % (3.0–28.2) | 22.9 % (8.2–49.7) |
| Pharmacists | 19.9 % (11.9–31.3) | 22.0 % (10.5–40.5) | 10.6 % (3.9–25.5) |
| Herbal Vendors | 3.9 % (1.1–12.2) | 11.4 % (5.7–21.5) | 5.1 % (1.5–16.1) |
| Friends/Neighbors | 17.5 % (10.4–27.8) | 16.7 % (9.7–27.4) | 5.2 % (1.7–15.3) |
| TM Use | |||
| …for Symptomatic Ailments | 57.3 % (49.2–65.0) | 45.1 % (28.8–62.6) | 79.1 % (60.8–90.2) |
| …for Chronic Diseases | 27.7 % (19.1–38.0) | 24.5 % (12.9–41.5) | 57.0 % (29.4–80.9) |
| …for Reproductive/Fertility Ailments | 22.8 % (14.6–33.9) | 19.7 % (8.8–38.5) | 49.5 % (28.2–70.9) |
| …for Malaria/Febrile Illnesses | 56.7 % (43.1–69.4) | 70.9 % (58.2–80.9) | 59.2 % (28.7–84.0) |
| …for Spiritual/traditional uses | 8.6 % (4.5–15.7) | 7.0 % (2.2–20.2) | 9.4 % (3.5–22.8) |
| …for Neurologic Illnesses | 19.5 % (11.3–31.4) | 19.6 % (10.2–34.5) | 38.2 % (18.9–62.2) |
| …for Urogenital Conditions | 15.7 % (9.8–24.4) | 16.7 % (8.2–31.0) | 26.0 % (10.6–51.1) |
| …for Cancers | 14.7 % (6.6–29.7) | 9.0 % (3.0–23.8) | 22.9 % (8.0–50.6) |
| …for Disease Prevention | 5.9 % (3.3–10.3) | 0.7 % (0.1–5.8) | 11.4 % (3.0–34.9) |
| …for Worms/Parasites | 11.1 % (6.9–17.4) | 15.9 % (9.3–25.9) | 22.0 % (8.7–45.7) |
| Modes of TM Use | |||
| Mix with water | 83.0 % (77.4–87.4) | 85.7 % (75.2–92.3) | 79.8 % (54.6–92.9) |
| Drink as a tea | 61.1 % (52.7–68.9) | 47.5 % (31.0–64.5) | 62.7 % (35.0–83.9) |
| Drink as a soup | 46.1 % (36.6–55.8) | 35.2 % (25.5–46.4) | 65.5 % (38.3–85.3) |
| Chew from the plant | 57.5 % (46.4–67.9) | 47.3 % (31.9–63.3) | 58.3 % (41.6–73.3) |
| Drink with milk | 22.8 % (15.7–31.9) | 15.7 % (7.5–30.0) | 39.2 % (19.2–63.6) |
| Bath | 26.2 % (17.7–37.0) | 30.3 % (20.7–42.0) | 45.0 % (19.3–73.8) |
| Inhalation | 33.9 % (26.5–42.1) | 39.2 % (26.8–53.1) | 42.5 % (24.0–63.3) |
| Powders | 17.4 % (9.7–29.2) | 22.9 % (11.8–39.7) | 25.3 % (9.9–51.0) |
| As foods to be eaten | 2.4 % (0.8–6.8) | 7.7 % (2.0–25.5) | 4.2 % (1.1–14.9) |
| Pill/Vitamin form | 0.6 % (0.2–1.7) | 1.4 % (0.3–6.7) | 2.4 % (0.4–13.0) |
| Lotions/Creams | 5.3 % (2.9–9.5) | 5.8 % (2.1–15.1) | 21.0 % (5.9–53.2) |
Chronic Diseases: Hypertension, Heart problems, Diabetes, or Body Swelling
Reproductive/Fertility Ailments: Sexual Arousal/Virility, Menstrual Problems, Pregnancy Termination, or Fertility/Impotence
Neurologic illnesses: Epilepsy, Mental Confusion, or Depression
Spiritual/Traditional: Peace of mind/Ward off curses, Protection from ‘evil eyes’, Unexplained Illnesses, or ‘To Improve Luck’
Symptomatic Ailments: Increase Strength, Constipation, Increase energy, Digestion/Stomach problems, Fatigue, Arthritis/joint pains, Flu/Cold symptoms, Headaches, or Skin problems
Urogenital: Kidney problems or Urinary problems