Impact of demographic characteristics of the local population of the Northern Black Sea coast on the use of medicinal plants

Abstract

The present study aims to examine the impact of demographic indicators gender, age, education and place of residence on the use of medicinal plants by the native population of the Northern Black Sea coast. The survey was conducted in eleven cities and nine villages between April and June 2015. The face-to-face interview technique was used and the respondents were randomly selected. The impact of demographic indicators on the respondents’ answers was assessed by calculating the correlation coefficient of Pearson (r). The results show that the majority of respondents (83.78%) used medicinal plants mainly for treatment and prevention of diseases, approximately half of them (45.95%) used them for nutrition. Respondents using medicinal plants for decoration and for business have an insignificant share (9.73% and 1.08%, respectively). From the demographic analysis of the results, a moderate influence of all four demographic indicators on the respondents’ answers was registered. The analysis of cross-links revealed that the attitude to the use of medicinal plants by women, unlike men, was not significantly influenced by age. The share of respondents from rural areas using medicinal plants for treatment and prevention of diseases was equal to those using them for nutrition, while the respondents from the cities using medicinal plants for treatment and prevention were twice more than those using them for nutrition. Regional differences were discovered comparing our data for use of medicinal plants of the local population with published data from the inland of the country.