Trends and Patterns in Traditional Chinese Medicine Use Among Chinese Population in Late Adulthood: An Eight-Year Repeated Panel Survey.
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), originated from China, is different from Western medicine in theory and practice. This study aimed to document the longitudinal trends and the patterns by demographical characteristics in the prevalence of TCM among the middle-aged and elderly Chinese population. This study used nationally representative longitudinal survey data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), covering approximately 20,000 individuals in each panel survey from 2011 to 2018. The questions regarding medication use in the questionnaire was used to identify the TCM users. The prevalence of using TCM for treating chronic diseases among the patients with chronic diseases stabilized between 2011 and 2018, while the prevalence of TCM use for any purpose among the overall population climbed from 19.03% (95% CI 18.37% to 19.69%) in 2011 to 23.91% (95% CI 23.23% to 24.60%) in 2015. Moreover, the prevalence of TCM use for nonchronic conditions among the overall population increased during the same period as well. The TCM users were more likely to be females and city dwellers. The increasing prevalence of TCM use for any purpose among the overall population reflects the increasing influence and potentials of TCM by year. With the expected rising demand in TCM for the following decades in China, more clinical trials on safety and healthcare policy regarding TCM are merited in the future.
['Xu|Lu|L|', 'Hu|Jing|J|', 'Liu|Lili|L|', 'Zhan|Siyan|S|', 'Wang|Shengfeng|S|']
D000368:Aged D000369:Aged, 80 and over D002681:China D002908:Chronic Disease D005260:Female D006801:Humans D008137:Longitudinal Studies D008297:Male D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional D008875:Middle Aged D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
Traditional Chinese Medicine Prevalence Longitudinal Study Chronic Disease Aged Middle Aged