Prevalence, patterns, drivers, and perceived benefits of herbal medicine use in COVID-19 patients in Qatar

<h3>Background</h3><p dir="ltr">Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), emerged as a global health crisis in early 2020, leading to widespread morbidity and mortality. In Qatar, as of December 2024,...

وصف كامل

محفوظ في:
التفاصيل البيبلوغرافية
المؤلف الرئيسي: Raneem Alsheikh (20644332) (author)
مؤلفون آخرون: Fatima R. Alsharif (22473637) (author), Nouran Alwisi (22303150) (author), Zachariah Nazar (14151510) (author), Mohamed Ahmed Syed (14153064) (author), Hamda Abdulla Qotba (22473641) (author), Layla Al-Mansoori (9292751) (author), Zumin Shi (14151978) (author), Abdullah Shaito (20545181) (author)
منشور في: 2025
الموضوعات:
الوسوم: إضافة وسم
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author Raneem Alsheikh (20644332)
author2 Fatima R. Alsharif (22473637)
Nouran Alwisi (22303150)
Zachariah Nazar (14151510)
Mohamed Ahmed Syed (14153064)
Hamda Abdulla Qotba (22473641)
Layla Al-Mansoori (9292751)
Zumin Shi (14151978)
Abdullah Shaito (20545181)
author2_role author
author
author
author
author
author
author
author
author_facet Raneem Alsheikh (20644332)
Fatima R. Alsharif (22473637)
Nouran Alwisi (22303150)
Zachariah Nazar (14151510)
Mohamed Ahmed Syed (14153064)
Hamda Abdulla Qotba (22473641)
Layla Al-Mansoori (9292751)
Zumin Shi (14151978)
Abdullah Shaito (20545181)
author_role author
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Raneem Alsheikh (20644332)
Fatima R. Alsharif (22473637)
Nouran Alwisi (22303150)
Zachariah Nazar (14151510)
Mohamed Ahmed Syed (14153064)
Hamda Abdulla Qotba (22473641)
Layla Al-Mansoori (9292751)
Zumin Shi (14151978)
Abdullah Shaito (20545181)
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2025-07-23T03:00:00Z
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv 10.1080/20523211.2025.2533258
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Prevalence_patterns_drivers_and_perceived_benefits_of_herbal_medicine_use_in_COVID-19_patients_in_Qatar/30406159
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv CC BY 4.0
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Biological sciences
Biochemistry and cell biology
Biomedical and clinical sciences
Medical physiology
Pharmacology and pharmaceutical sciences
Health sciences
Epidemiology
Public health
Traditional, complementary and integrative medicine
COVID-19
herbal medicine
CAM
self-prescription
Qatar
ginger
turmeric
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Prevalence, patterns, drivers, and perceived benefits of herbal medicine use in COVID-19 patients in Qatar
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv Text
Journal contribution
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
text
contribution to journal
description <h3>Background</h3><p dir="ltr">Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), emerged as a global health crisis in early 2020, leading to widespread morbidity and mortality. In Qatar, as of December 2024, the disease burden has reached over 500,000 cases and more than 600 deaths. While conventional treatments have evolved throughout the pandemic, the use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM), particularly herbal medicine, has also become prevalent. This study investigated the prevalence, reasons, uses, types, self-reported benefits, and sociodemographic determinants of utilising herbal medicine among COVID-19 patients in Qatar.</p><h3>Methods</h3><p dir="ltr">A cross-sectional study was conducted among patients attending Qatar Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) clinics. Of the 10,000 SMS invitations that were sent, 882 survey responses were received from patients diagnosed with COVID-19 between 1 March 2020, and 30th April 2022. Following the exclusion of 31 participants due to missing data, sociodemographic data from 851 participants were analysed using logistic regression to assess predictors of herbal medicine use. Prevalence, patterns, types, and self-reported benefits were analysed using descriptive statistics.</p><h3>Results</h3><p dir="ltr">Of the 851 respondents included in the analysis, 440 (51.7%) reported herbal medicine use. Herbal medicine use was associated with better-perceived health outcomes. Women were more likely to use herbal medicine than men (OR = 1.90, 95%CI: 1.30–2.77, <i>p</i> = 0.001). The most used herbal remedies were ginger (n = 347), turmeric (n = 207), and garlic (n = 155). Family tradition (42%), the belief that herbs are natural (34.8%), and the desire to improve health and survival (31.1%) were the leading drivers of herbal medicine use.</p><h3>Conclusion</h3><p dir="ltr">Herbal medicine use was prevalent (51.7%) during COVID-19 in Qatar, with a higher prevalence of use among women. This prevalence was driven by cultural beliefs and perceived health benefits. The study contributes insights to guide future research, policy, and practice toward safe and evidence-informed integration of herbal medicine in pandemic preparedness and broader healthcare strategies.</p><h2>Other Information</h2><p dir="ltr">Published in: Journal of Pharmaceutical Policy and Practice<br>License: <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0" target="_blank">https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0</a><br>See article on publisher's website: <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/20523211.2025.2533258" target="_blank">https://doi.org/10.1080/20523211.2025.2533258</a></p>
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
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identifier_str_mv 10.1080/20523211.2025.2533258
network_acronym_str Manara2
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oai_identifier_str oai:figshare.com:article/30406159
publishDate 2025
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rights_invalid_str_mv CC BY 4.0
spelling Prevalence, patterns, drivers, and perceived benefits of herbal medicine use in COVID-19 patients in QatarRaneem Alsheikh (20644332)Fatima R. Alsharif (22473637)Nouran Alwisi (22303150)Zachariah Nazar (14151510)Mohamed Ahmed Syed (14153064)Hamda Abdulla Qotba (22473641)Layla Al-Mansoori (9292751)Zumin Shi (14151978)Abdullah Shaito (20545181)Biological sciencesBiochemistry and cell biologyBiomedical and clinical sciencesMedical physiologyPharmacology and pharmaceutical sciencesHealth sciencesEpidemiologyPublic healthTraditional, complementary and integrative medicineCOVID-19herbal medicineCAMself-prescriptionQatargingerturmeric<h3>Background</h3><p dir="ltr">Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), emerged as a global health crisis in early 2020, leading to widespread morbidity and mortality. In Qatar, as of December 2024, the disease burden has reached over 500,000 cases and more than 600 deaths. While conventional treatments have evolved throughout the pandemic, the use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM), particularly herbal medicine, has also become prevalent. This study investigated the prevalence, reasons, uses, types, self-reported benefits, and sociodemographic determinants of utilising herbal medicine among COVID-19 patients in Qatar.</p><h3>Methods</h3><p dir="ltr">A cross-sectional study was conducted among patients attending Qatar Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) clinics. Of the 10,000 SMS invitations that were sent, 882 survey responses were received from patients diagnosed with COVID-19 between 1 March 2020, and 30th April 2022. Following the exclusion of 31 participants due to missing data, sociodemographic data from 851 participants were analysed using logistic regression to assess predictors of herbal medicine use. Prevalence, patterns, types, and self-reported benefits were analysed using descriptive statistics.</p><h3>Results</h3><p dir="ltr">Of the 851 respondents included in the analysis, 440 (51.7%) reported herbal medicine use. Herbal medicine use was associated with better-perceived health outcomes. Women were more likely to use herbal medicine than men (OR = 1.90, 95%CI: 1.30–2.77, <i>p</i> = 0.001). The most used herbal remedies were ginger (n = 347), turmeric (n = 207), and garlic (n = 155). Family tradition (42%), the belief that herbs are natural (34.8%), and the desire to improve health and survival (31.1%) were the leading drivers of herbal medicine use.</p><h3>Conclusion</h3><p dir="ltr">Herbal medicine use was prevalent (51.7%) during COVID-19 in Qatar, with a higher prevalence of use among women. This prevalence was driven by cultural beliefs and perceived health benefits. The study contributes insights to guide future research, policy, and practice toward safe and evidence-informed integration of herbal medicine in pandemic preparedness and broader healthcare strategies.</p><h2>Other Information</h2><p dir="ltr">Published in: Journal of Pharmaceutical Policy and Practice<br>License: <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0" target="_blank">https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0</a><br>See article on publisher's website: <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/20523211.2025.2533258" target="_blank">https://doi.org/10.1080/20523211.2025.2533258</a></p>2025-07-23T03:00:00ZTextJournal contributioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersiontextcontribution to journal10.1080/20523211.2025.2533258https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Prevalence_patterns_drivers_and_perceived_benefits_of_herbal_medicine_use_in_COVID-19_patients_in_Qatar/30406159CC BY 4.0info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:figshare.com:article/304061592025-07-23T03:00:00Z
spellingShingle Prevalence, patterns, drivers, and perceived benefits of herbal medicine use in COVID-19 patients in Qatar
Raneem Alsheikh (20644332)
Biological sciences
Biochemistry and cell biology
Biomedical and clinical sciences
Medical physiology
Pharmacology and pharmaceutical sciences
Health sciences
Epidemiology
Public health
Traditional, complementary and integrative medicine
COVID-19
herbal medicine
CAM
self-prescription
Qatar
ginger
turmeric
status_str publishedVersion
title Prevalence, patterns, drivers, and perceived benefits of herbal medicine use in COVID-19 patients in Qatar
title_full Prevalence, patterns, drivers, and perceived benefits of herbal medicine use in COVID-19 patients in Qatar
title_fullStr Prevalence, patterns, drivers, and perceived benefits of herbal medicine use in COVID-19 patients in Qatar
title_full_unstemmed Prevalence, patterns, drivers, and perceived benefits of herbal medicine use in COVID-19 patients in Qatar
title_short Prevalence, patterns, drivers, and perceived benefits of herbal medicine use in COVID-19 patients in Qatar
title_sort Prevalence, patterns, drivers, and perceived benefits of herbal medicine use in COVID-19 patients in Qatar
topic Biological sciences
Biochemistry and cell biology
Biomedical and clinical sciences
Medical physiology
Pharmacology and pharmaceutical sciences
Health sciences
Epidemiology
Public health
Traditional, complementary and integrative medicine
COVID-19
herbal medicine
CAM
self-prescription
Qatar
ginger
turmeric