Cover Image

The use of herbal and dietary supplements for COVID-19 prevention: a survey among the public in a Malaysian suburban town

Introduction: The spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) may lead people to seek preventative measures. The use of herbal and dietary supplements (HDS) may have become prevalent during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aims to identify the prevalence, predictors, and patterns of HDS us...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Abd Wahab, Mohd Shahezwan, Hamdi, Humaira’, Ali, Aida Azlina, Karuppannan, Mahmathi, Zulkifli, Muhammad Harith, Maniam, Sandra, Ung, Carolina Oi Lam
Format: Article
Published: Elsevier 2023
Online Access:http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/109183/
https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S2210803323000283
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
id my.upm.eprints.109183
record_format eprints
spelling my.upm.eprints.1091832024-08-27T04:27:11Z http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/109183/ The use of herbal and dietary supplements for COVID-19 prevention: a survey among the public in a Malaysian suburban town Abd Wahab, Mohd Shahezwan Hamdi, Humaira’ Ali, Aida Azlina Karuppannan, Mahmathi Zulkifli, Muhammad Harith Maniam, Sandra Ung, Carolina Oi Lam Introduction: The spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) may lead people to seek preventative measures. The use of herbal and dietary supplements (HDS) may have become prevalent during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aims to identify the prevalence, predictors, and patterns of HDS use for COVID-19 prevention in a sample of the general public in a suburban town in Malaysia. Methods: An online cross-sectional survey was conducted between May and June 2021 involving adults ≥ 18 years old. Data on the self-reported use of HDS for COVID-19 prevention were collected. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine the predictors of HDS use. Results: Overall, 41.9 % (168/401) reported using HDS to prevent COVID-19. Multivariate analysis showed that HDS users were more likely to be individuals ≥ 40 years old (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.774, 95 % confidence interval [CI] = 1.016 – 3.098), and to have had a history of HDS use prior to the pandemic (aOR = 19.378, 95 % CI = 5.901 – 63.639). Most HDS users referred to social media or websites (66.7 %, 112/168) for HDS information. Approximately half of them had consulted either pharmacists or doctors about their HDS use. Conclusion: HDS use to prevent COVID-19 was common among the respondents. Several issues - such as the concurrent use of HDS with conventional medications, the use of unreliable sources of information, and the lack of consultation with healthcare providers (HCPs) - indicate that HCPs should be more proactive in their consultative and information-providing roles regarding HDS use. Elsevier 2023-06 Article PeerReviewed Abd Wahab, Mohd Shahezwan and Hamdi, Humaira’ and Ali, Aida Azlina and Karuppannan, Mahmathi and Zulkifli, Muhammad Harith and Maniam, Sandra and Ung, Carolina Oi Lam (2023) The use of herbal and dietary supplements for COVID-19 prevention: a survey among the public in a Malaysian suburban town. Journal of Herbal Medicine, 39. art. no. 100650. pp. 1-7. ISSN 2210-8033 https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S2210803323000283 10.1016/j.hermed.2023.100650
institution Universiti Putra Malaysia
building UPM Library
collection Institutional Repository
continent Asia
country Malaysia
content_provider Universiti Putra Malaysia
content_source UPM Institutional Repository
url_provider http://psasir.upm.edu.my/
description Introduction: The spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) may lead people to seek preventative measures. The use of herbal and dietary supplements (HDS) may have become prevalent during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aims to identify the prevalence, predictors, and patterns of HDS use for COVID-19 prevention in a sample of the general public in a suburban town in Malaysia. Methods: An online cross-sectional survey was conducted between May and June 2021 involving adults ≥ 18 years old. Data on the self-reported use of HDS for COVID-19 prevention were collected. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine the predictors of HDS use. Results: Overall, 41.9 % (168/401) reported using HDS to prevent COVID-19. Multivariate analysis showed that HDS users were more likely to be individuals ≥ 40 years old (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.774, 95 % confidence interval [CI] = 1.016 – 3.098), and to have had a history of HDS use prior to the pandemic (aOR = 19.378, 95 % CI = 5.901 – 63.639). Most HDS users referred to social media or websites (66.7 %, 112/168) for HDS information. Approximately half of them had consulted either pharmacists or doctors about their HDS use. Conclusion: HDS use to prevent COVID-19 was common among the respondents. Several issues - such as the concurrent use of HDS with conventional medications, the use of unreliable sources of information, and the lack of consultation with healthcare providers (HCPs) - indicate that HCPs should be more proactive in their consultative and information-providing roles regarding HDS use.
format Article
author Abd Wahab, Mohd Shahezwan
Hamdi, Humaira’
Ali, Aida Azlina
Karuppannan, Mahmathi
Zulkifli, Muhammad Harith
Maniam, Sandra
Ung, Carolina Oi Lam
spellingShingle Abd Wahab, Mohd Shahezwan
Hamdi, Humaira’
Ali, Aida Azlina
Karuppannan, Mahmathi
Zulkifli, Muhammad Harith
Maniam, Sandra
Ung, Carolina Oi Lam
The use of herbal and dietary supplements for COVID-19 prevention: a survey among the public in a Malaysian suburban town
author_facet Abd Wahab, Mohd Shahezwan
Hamdi, Humaira’
Ali, Aida Azlina
Karuppannan, Mahmathi
Zulkifli, Muhammad Harith
Maniam, Sandra
Ung, Carolina Oi Lam
author_sort Abd Wahab, Mohd Shahezwan
title The use of herbal and dietary supplements for COVID-19 prevention: a survey among the public in a Malaysian suburban town
title_short The use of herbal and dietary supplements for COVID-19 prevention: a survey among the public in a Malaysian suburban town
title_full The use of herbal and dietary supplements for COVID-19 prevention: a survey among the public in a Malaysian suburban town
title_fullStr The use of herbal and dietary supplements for COVID-19 prevention: a survey among the public in a Malaysian suburban town
title_full_unstemmed The use of herbal and dietary supplements for COVID-19 prevention: a survey among the public in a Malaysian suburban town
title_sort use of herbal and dietary supplements for covid-19 prevention: a survey among the public in a malaysian suburban town
publisher Elsevier
publishDate 2023
url http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/109183/
https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S2210803323000283
_version_ 1809142973615570944
score 13.211869

Similar Items