Abstract
Background Traditional medicine is used by about 80% of the Ethiopian people to meet their healthcare needs. The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice of the community on traditional medicine in Debre Tabor town. Methods A community-based cross-sectional study was carried out from November 1, 2018, to December 30, 2018, with a face-to-face interview method and involved 402 participants recruited by systematic random sampling technique. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20.0. The association of independent and dependent variables was determined by binary logistic regression. Results Among the participants, 294 (73.13%) were females and 108 (26.87%) were males. The ages of participants ranged from 18 to 80 (mean age of the participants was 35.73 ± 0.59 years). Above three-fourths, 322 (80.1%) of the participants had good knowledge. 158 (39.3%) of the participants had a good attitude and 145 (36.1%) of the participants used traditional medicines in their lifetime for different ailments. From all the participants who use traditional medicine, 41 (28.3%) encountered minor adverse effects. Conclusions The study participants in Debre Tabor have good knowledge but poor attitude and utilization of traditional medicine.
Highlights
A number of medicinal plants were in use as early as 5000 to 4000 BC in China, and 1600 BC by Syrians, Babylonians, Hebrews, and Egyptians [1]
About 80% of Ethiopian people rely on traditional medicine to meet their healthcare needs which could be attributed to cultural acceptability, perceived efficacy against certain types of diseases, physical accessibility, and affordability as compared to modern medicine [4]
Studies conducted hitherto are far from complete owing to multiethnic cultural diversity and the diverse flora of Ethiopia even thoug, encouraging initiatives have emerged in recent years [4, 6]
Summary
A number of medicinal plants were in use as early as 5000 to 4000 BC in China, and 1600 BC by Syrians, Babylonians, Hebrews, and Egyptians [1]. About 80% of Ethiopian people rely on traditional medicine to meet their healthcare needs which could be attributed to cultural acceptability, perceived efficacy against certain types of diseases, physical accessibility, and affordability as compared to modern medicine [4]. Little effort was made to properly document the associated knowledge, attitude, and utilization of medicinal plants in the country [5]. E aim of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice of the community on traditional medicine in Debre Tabor town. 158 (39.3%) of the participants had a good attitude and 145 (36.1%) of the participants used traditional medicines in their lifetime for different ailments. E study participants in Debre Tabor have good knowledge but poor attitude and utilization of traditional medicine Conclusions. e study participants in Debre Tabor have good knowledge but poor attitude and utilization of traditional medicine
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