Knowledge Attitude and Practice of Malaysian Society Toward Herbal Medicine in Response to Covid-19

Abstract

Introduction: Herbal medication is gaining popularity among the general public, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak. However, there is lack of information regarding the side effects of herbal medicine, which should be taken into consideration by Malaysian society. Objectives: This study was conducted to assess the knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) of Malaysian society towards herbal medicine in response to COVID-19. The association between KAP and sociodemographics were also investigated. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted among Malaysian society aged 16 years and above. A total of 405 respondents were approached for the study. The study was assessed by using an online self administered questionnaire to measure KAP towards herbal medicine. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize respondents’ demographic characteristics and KAP. Chi square tests were used to investigate the association between sociodemographics and KAP of the respondent. All analyses were performed using SPSS 26.0. A p value< 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results and conclusion: The results showed that majority of respondents had moderate knowledge (43%), moderate attitude (61.7%), and moderate practice (44.9%) towards herbal medicine in response to COVID-19. The study also showed that sociodemographic (gender, education level and marital status) had a significant relationship with the practice of Malaysian communities toward herbal medicine in response to COVID-19 (p<0.05). It can be concluded that Malaysians had a moderate degree of knowledge, attitude and practice toward herbal medicines in response to COVID-19. The Ministry of Health (MOH) should raise awareness campaigns and educate society about the side effects and consequences of using herbal medicines in response to COVID-19. The community education program is also very important to improve the knowledge about herbal medication towards COVID-19.