Attitude Analysis Against Traditional and Complementary Medicine: An Application Specific to Covid-19

Abstract

Background: In the ages when modern medicine did not exist yet, people developed some methods to treat their diseases with their own efforts. These treatment methods consist of empirical applications based on experience and knowledge developed in the light of centuries of experience and transferred from generation to generation. Although it lost its old effect and wide application area with the development of modern medicine, folk medicine still exists today. Aim: Examining the attitudes and behaviors of people towards modern and traditional medicine practices by taking demographic and individual differences as reference during the Covid-19 epidemic. The data set of this study was obtained through a questionnaire applied on 396 individuals living in Erzurum city center in 2021. Reliability Analysis and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (RACFA), Chi-square test, independent sample t test and ANOVA test were used within the scope of the study. Results: As the access to modern medicine increases and the learning styles of generations differ, the application dimension of traditional and complementary medicine (TCM) weakens. On the other hand, the level of satisfaction with modern medicine also changes in parallel with expectations. The significant relationships between the variables in the study findings focus on questions related to modern medicine. A significant relationship was found between the intellectual perspective to traditional and complementary medicine sub-dimension and the presence of people who had Covid-19 in the close circle of the participants. Conclusion: It has been determined that individuals see traditional and complementary medicine as complementary rather than an alternative to modern medicine, and although they have above-average theoretical knowledge, their application aspects are weak. Keywords: Traditional and Complementary Medicine, Folk Medicine, Covid-19, Attitude Analysis