The Use of Herbal Remedies among Mothers of Young Children Living in the Central Appalachian Region.

The short version

This cross-sectional survey of 178 mothers of young children in the Central Appalachian Region of the United States explored how many use herbal remedies and which factors are linked to that use. Herbal remedies are plant-based products taken for health purposes, and they are the most common form of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM, health approaches used alongside or instead of conventional care) among American adults. The authors framed the work with the Comprehensive Model of Information Seeking, which holds that a person's background, past experiences, mood and beliefs shape where information is sought and, in turn, whether action follows, here the use of herbal remedies. The participants were women aged 18 or older with at least one child under three years of age, living in Central Appalachia and mostly in West Virginia, with a mean age of 31.3 years. They were recruited through social media groups, listserv emails, daycares and physician's offices, and completed an online survey. One item asked whether any herbal remedy had been used in the past six months, with follow-ups on which remedy and which condition. Two new five-point scales captured how often six information sources were used and how strongly herbal remedies were believed to be safe and effective. One-third of the women (33.5%) reported using herbal remedies in the past six months. Fenugreek was the most widely used remedy (35.1%), followed by honey (8.8%), chamomile (5.3%) and ginger (5.3%). The main reasons were stimulating or increasing breast milk production (38.6%) and treating cold or flu symptoms (26.3%). Women with the highest information seeking scores had 3.61 times the odds of using herbal remedies compared with those with the lowest (95% CI 1.433-9.77), meaning that more active information seeking went with more use. Women with the highest belief in herbal safety and efficacy had 4.02 times the odds (95% CI 1.468-9.57). Part-time or unemployed women had 2.98 times the odds of full-time employed women (95% CI 1.05-8.47), while education, income and Appalachian identity showed no association. The internet was the most frequently used information source (mean 3.2 out of 5). The authors conclude that herbal remedy use is common in this region and propose that public health efforts and communication from health care providers could raise awareness of the safety and efficacy of herbal remedies. The survey recorded use and beliefs only; it did not test whether any remedy worked, and safety was not assessed. Limitations include a sample drawn mostly from West Virginia, self-selection in an internet-based survey, self-reported answers open to recall bias, and no data on whether use was regular or occasional. The authors call for further research, including qualitative work, on what health information women seek.

Key findings

• About one-third (33.5%) of 178 mothers of young children living in the Central Appalachian Region reported using an herbal remedy in the past six months.
• Fenugreek was the most widely reported remedy (35.1%), followed by honey (8.8%), chamomile (5.3%) and ginger (5.3%), and the main reported reasons were increasing breast milk production (38.6%) and treating cold or flu symptoms (26.3%).
• Higher scores for information seeking (odds ratio 3.61) and for belief in the safety and efficacy of herbal remedies (odds ratio 4.02) were each associated with higher odds of use, where an odds ratio compares the odds of use between the highest-scoring and lowest-scoring groups.
• Part-time or unemployed women had 2.98 times the odds of herbal remedy use compared with full-time employed women, while education, income and Appalachian identity were not associated with use.
• This was a cross-sectional survey (a single snapshot based on self-report) of use and beliefs, so it did not test whether any remedy works or is safe, and the authors note the sample came mostly from West Virginia.

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