Patterns and Factors associated with Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use among Korean Postpartum Women

Ju Hee Kim; Hye Sook Shin; So Young Kim; Hye Kyung Lee; So Hee Lim

doi:10.4069/kjwhn.2016.22.1.1

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Kim, Shin, Kim, Lee, and Lim: Patterns and Factors associated with Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use among Korean Postpartum Women

Original Article

Korean Journal of Women Health Nursing 2016; 22(1): 1-10.

Published online: 26 March 2016

DOI: https://doi.org/10.4069/kjwhn.2016.22.1.1

Patterns and Factors associated with Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use among Korean Postpartum Women

Ju Hee Kim¹, Hye Sook Shin¹, So Young Kim², Hye Kyung Lee³, So Hee Lim⁴

¹College of Nursing Science, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Korea.

²Department of Nursing, Doowon Technical University, Anseong, Korea.

³Department of Nursing, Suwon Women's University, Suwon, Korea.

⁴Department of Nursing, KyungMin College, Uijeongbu, Korea.

Corresponding author: Shin, Hye Sook. College of Nursing Science, Kyung Hee University, 26 Kyunghee-daero, Dongdaemon-gu, Seoul 130-701, Korea. Tel: +82-2-961-9143, Fax: +82-2-961-9398, suksh@khu.ac.kr

Received 10 November 2015 Revised 23 December 2015 Accepted 12 February 2016

(open-access):

This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

Purpose

This study was conducted to identify the pattern and factors associated with women's use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) during postpartum in Korea.

Methods

With a descriptive survey design, data of 423 postpartum women were collected via online and offline surveys.

Results

A total of 251 women (59.3%) reported CAM use during postpartum. Eating animal-based foods (65.3%), plant-based health foods (52.2%), and using oriental medicine (31.8%) were commonly used in postpartum women. The reason for using CAM were physical recovery (39.1%), breastfeeding (29.7%), weight loss (24.8%), prevention of postpartum complications (5.1%), and others (1.3%). People who recommended CAM use was mainly family (41.3%), and expense of using CAM was 751,188 Korea won. Most women discussed CAM use with doctor (44.9%), and 29.3% of women didn't even consult CAM use with health care providers. Most of (72.3%) women were satisfied with CAM use. Higher level of education and monthly income, being employed, primipara, normal range of gestational weight gain, no abortion experience, and no maternal complication were significantly associated with CAM use in postpartum women.

Conclusion

Results of this study were somewhat different from those of western research. Findings offer baseline data of CAM use in postpartum women, and health care providers need to understand it when they care for them.

Keywords: Postpartum, Complementary medicine, Alternative medicine, Women

Figures and Tables

Table 1

General and Obstetrical Characteristics of Postpartum Women (N=423)

Characteristics	Categories	CAM use (n=251)	CAM not use (n=172)	χ²	p
Characteristics	Categories	n (%)	n (%)	χ²	p
Age (year)	<35	196 (78.1)	135 (78.5)	0.01	1.000
Age (year)	≥35	55 (21.9)	37 (21.5)	0.01	1.000
Husband's age (year)	<35	155 (61.8)	103 (59.9)	0.15	.761
Husband's age (year)	≥35	96 (38.2)	69 (40.1)	0.15	.761
Educational level	<College	28 (11.2)	36 (20.9)	7.59	.008
Educational level	≥College	223 (88.8)	136 (79.1)	7.59	.008
Employment status	Unemployed	123 (49.0)	107 (62.2)	7.17	.010
Employment status	Employed	128 (51.0)	65 (37.8)	7.17	.010
Religion	No	115 (45.8)	83 (48.3)	0.24	.692
Religion	Yes	136 (54.2)	89 (51.7)	0.24	.692
Region	Urban	212 (84.5)	138 (80.2)	1.28	.295
Region	Rural	39 (15.5)	34 (19.8)	1.28	.295
Family monthly income (10,000 won)	<300	111 (44.2)	95 (55.2)	4.95	.029
Family monthly income (10,000 won)	≥300	140 (55.8)	77 (44.8)	4.95	.029
Parity	Primipara	187 (74.5)	115 (66.9)	2.92	.101
Parity	Multipara	64 (25.5)	57 (33.1)	2.92	.101
Abortion experience	No	191 (76.1)	112 (65.1)	6.05	.016
Abortion experience	Yes	60 (23.9)	60 (34.9)	6.05	.016
Preterm birth experience	No	231 (92.0)	153 (89.0)	1.16	.307
Preterm birth experience	Yes	20 (8.0)	19 (11.0)	1.16	.307
Pregnancy method^†	Natural	340 (95.6)	168 (97.7)		.298
Pregnancy method^†	Artificial	11 (4.4)	4 (2.3)		.298
Gestational weight gain	Normal range	161 (64.1)	81 (47.1)	12.12	.001
Gestational weight gain	Abnormal range	90 (35.9)	91 (52.9)	12.12	.001
Delivery method	Vaginal birth	159 (63.3)	115 (66.9)	0.55	.470
Delivery method	Cesarean birth	92 (36.7)	57 (33.1)	0.55	.470
Maternal complication	No	193 (76.9)	156 (90.7)	13.48	<.001
Maternal complication	Yes	58 (23.1)	16 (9.3)	13.48	<.001
Infant's gender	Male	121 (48.2)	84 (48.8)	0.02	.921
Infant's gender	Female	130 (51.8)	88 (51.2)	0.02	.921
Infant's birthweight	Normal range	214 (85.3)	153 (89.0)	1.21	.308
Infant's birthweight	Abnormal range	37 (8.7)	19 (11.0)	1.21	.308
Infant's complication^†	No	240 (95.6)	168 (97.7)		.298
Infant's complication^†	Yes	11 (4.4)	4 (2.3)		.298

^†Fisher exact test, CAM=complementary and alternative medicine.

Table 2

Number of Postpartum Women using Complementary and Alternative Medicine (N=251)

Categories	Modality of CAM	n (%)
Whole medical system	Traditional chinese medicine (acupuncture, moxibustion, cupping)	33 (13.1)
Mind-body medicine	Music therapy	12 (4.8)
	Aromatherapy	3 (1.2)
	Yoga	25 (10.0)
	Hortitherapy	1 (0.4)
Biologically based practice	Animal food : Pig's Feet,beef-bone soup, snakeheaded fish, edible carp, black goat, octopus	164 (65.3)
	Vegetable food : pumpkin, aloes, Lingzhi mushroom, plum, jujube, adzuki beans, prun juice	131 (52.2)
	Oriental medicine : ginseng, red ginseng, deer antlers, Kungokgo, Sibjeondaebotang, Konjindan	80 (31.8)
	Dietry supplements : Vitamin, iron, antioxidant, omega-3 fatty acid	62 (24.7)
Manipulative and body based practice	Acupressure	19 (7.6)
	Massage	75 (29.9)
	Chiropractic	23 (9.2)
	Keritherapy	1 (0.4)
Energy medicine	Infrared therapy	13 (5.2)

CAM=complementary and alternative medicine.

Table 3

Pattern of CAM among Postpartum Women (N=251)

Characteristics	Categories	n (%)
Reason for using CAM	Physical recovery	98 (39.1)
	Breastfeeding	75 (29.7)
	Weight Loss	62 (24.8)
	Prevention of postpartum complications	13 (5.1)
	Others	3 (1.3)
People who recommended CAM	Family	104 (41.3)
	Own initiative	73 (28.9)
	Health care providers	37 (14.8)
	Friends	32 (12.8)
	Others	6 (2.2)
Expense of using CAM (10,000 won)	<10	32 (12.8)
	10~<50	101 (40.2)
	50~<100	61 (24.3)
	≥100	57 (22.7)
People whom discuss about CAM use	Doctor	113 (44.9)
	Oriental doctor	42 (16.8)
	Nurse	19 (7.6)
	Others	4 (1.4)
	None	74 (29.3)

CAM=complementary and alternative medicine.

Table 4

Predictors of CAM use among Postpartum Women (N=423)

Factors	Variables	Model I			Model II
Factors	Variables	Adjusted OR	95% CI	p	Adjusted OR	95% CI	p
General factor	Age (ref:≥35years)	1.54	0.72~1.77	.054	1.11	0.65~1.71	.050
	Educational level (ref:<college)	1.83	1.03~3.27	.041	2.06	1.10~3.86	.024
	Employment status (ref: unemployed)	1.13	1.10~3.56	.028	1.68	1.06~2.65	.026
	Family monthly income (10,000 won) (ref:<300)	1.54	1.00~2.37	.038	1.05	1.04~3.13	.033
Obstetric factor	Parity (ref: multipara)				1.34	1.00~2.04	<.001
	Abortion experience (ref: yes)				1.46	1.01~2.29	<.001
	Gestational weight gain (ref: abnormal range)				1.89	1.09~3.30	.001
	Maternal complications (ref: yes)				3.02	1.07~4.81	<.001

CAM=complementary and alternative medicine.

Summary Statement

▪ What is already known about this topic?

Most existing studies reported massage therapy, vitamins, and acupuncture as the most common types of CAM used by postpartum women.

▪ What this paper adds?

This study found that biologically based therapies such as animal-based foods, plant-based health foods, and Oriental medicine accounted for the majority use of CAM in postpartum Korean women.

▪ Implications for practice, education and/or policy

This study can serve as baseline data required for promoting postpartum health in Korea and other parts of the world. Additionally, health care providers, including nurses, need to understand the cultural differences and provide postpartum women with appropriate care.

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