Factors associated with utilisation of traditional Chinese medicine among Hong Kong Chinese

Abstract

The present study explored factors associated with belief in, and utilisation of, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), as well as factors associated with trust in TCM practitioners (TCMPs) among Hong Kong Chinese individuals. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire. A sample of 300 Hong Kong Chinese aged between 18 and 90 years old were recruited. The study used a number of outcome variables including demographic variables, health status, as measured by the SF-12, attitude towards TCM and Western medicine as measured by the Chinese-Western Medical Beliefs Scale, traditional Chinese values as measured by the Chinese Values Scale and trust in physicians. Findings revealed an association between age, gender and education level, with older age, being female and lower educational attainment all being predictive of TCM utilisation. Utilisation norms was predictive of trust in practitioners, indicating that frequent use of TCM lead to higher levels of trust in TCMP. Chinese values were differentially associated with use of and belief in TCM. Confucian obligation was predictive of belief in TCM and utilisation of TCM, while tolerance and harmony was not associated with belief and use of TCM. Younger respondents tended to score higher in tolerance and harmony, while older respondents scored higher in Confucian obligation, which goes some way to explain these differing trends in Chinese values and associations with TCM as older respondents were much more likely to utilise TCM than their younger counterparts.