Highlights
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- Nearly half of the women consumed Chinese herbal medicines during or after pregnancy.
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- Chinese Angelica was the most popular herbal medicine among Chinese mothers.
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- Maternal mother/mother-in-law was the main referral source for herbal consumption.
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- Health professionals should give evidence-based advice regarding maternal herbal use.
Abstract
Objective
to investigate usage patterns and factors associated with maternal consumption of Chinese herbal medicines in China.
Design
prospective
cohort study. Information on the use of Chinese herbal medicines was
collected from mothers by personal interview at hospital discharge and
followed up by telephone at 1, 3 and 6 months postpartum.
Setting
seven hospitals in Jiangyou, Sichuan Province of China.
Participants
695 mothers who gave birth to a singleton infant.
Measurements
Prevalence,
type, frequency and duration of herbal medicine usage. Logistic mixed
regression analyses were performed to determine factors affecting the
use.
Findings
a total of 43.5%
and 45.0% of mothers consumed Chinese herbal medicines during pregnancy
and postpartum, respectively. Angelica sinsensis was the most popular
herbal medicine among the participants (pregnancy 28.8%, postpartum
26.8%). Although herbal medicines were taken more regularly by
postpartum users, the median usage duration varied from 2 to 3 months
during pregnancy but 1 to 1.6 months postpartum. The majority of users
(pregnancy 42.9%, postpartum 55.1%) were advised by their mother or
mother-in-law to take Chinese herbal medicines. Prenatal alcohol
drinking (adjusted odds ratio 2.75, 95% confidence interval 1.01 to
7.53) was associated with a marginally higher prevalence of herbal
consumption during pregnancy, whereas mothers with a lower family income
(adjusted odds ratio 1.52, 95% confidence interval 1.12 to 2.04) were
more likely to consume Chinese herbal medicines in the postpartum
period.
Key conclusions and implications for practice
consumption
of Chinese herbal medicines appears to be prevalent among Chinese
mothers, especially those drinking alcohol whilst pregnant and women
from a lower income household. Maternity health professionals need to be
aware of the lack of evidence to support the use of Chinese herbal
medicines during pregnancy and postpartum, and to provide their clients
with scientifically based advice regarding herbal medicine use.
Keywords
- Chinese herbal medicine;
- Pregnancy;
- Postpartum;
- China
- Corresponding author at: Department of Management Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong. Tel.:
+852 34428585; fax: +852 34420189.
Copyright © 2015 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
