The Status of College Students about Using Complementary and Alternative Treatment Methods

Abstract

Purpose: This study has been conducted to assess health management department students' status about using complementary and alternative treatment methods (CAM). Materials and methods: The study was conducted in compliance with descriptive research methods between 25 May 2017 and 15 June 2017. The target population of the study consisted of 216 individuals and 190 volunteer students have been taken into scope of the research. Data of the research has been collected by face-to-face interview method by using a "Data Collection Form". Assessment of the data was done by number, percentage, and chi-square tests. Results: In total, 43.7% of the students are in the age group of 18-20, 72.6% of them are female, and 89.5% of them use CAM. It has been detected that 42.5% of the students use physical and mental treatments, 34.5% of them use physical therapies, 12.4% use alternative and medical systems, and 10.4% of them use energy and manipulative treatments. It has been determined that 55.9% of them have learnt about these methods from the internet, 33.5% of them from a friend, and 12.4% of them from a relative/ neighbor. Also, 94.7% of the students have never been trained in CAM and 81.8% of them have expressed that they want to be trained. Conclusion: The research outcomes indicate that more than half of the students implement CAM. However, they do not seek enough information on this issue from healthcare professionals. In recent years, use of CAM is becoming increasingly popular. Since guidance of internet or television stands out in use of CAM methods, it is considered that trainings for students shall benefit. Also, with regard to this study, it is recommended that larger samples be undertaken to evaluate. © 2019, Pamukkale University. All rights reserved.