A survey to determine attitudes and perceptions of complementary and alternative medicine users in Johannesburg health shops

• Main Author: Snyman, Werner
• Published: 2014
• Subjects: Alternative medicine - South Africa - Johannesburg - Public opinion; Homeopathy - South Africa - Johannesburg - Public opinion; Consumers - South Africa - Johannesburg - Attitudes
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/10885

M.Tech. (Homoeopathy) === Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) describes a group of natural healthcare interventions that may be employed in conjunction with (Complementary) or instead of (Alternative) conventional medical treatments (Barnes and Bloom, 2008).The prevalence of CAM use in industrialised countries has shown a significant increase in recent decades, amongst consumers and professionals alike, and is being utilised by up to 50% of adults in developed communities (Astin et al., 1998). The general public are starting to take their health and well-being into their own hands by investing in CAM products and consulting with various CAM practitioners. This study is designed to gain valuable insight into the subjective experience of typical CAM users in Johannesburg. Such information may raise awareness within the current CAM climate and may be of value in formulating future marketing and educational strategies for the various CAM professions. Several global surveys have been done to determine patterns and prevalence of CAM use. In South Africa, such studies have been conducted in Cape Town (Du Plessis and Pellow, 2013) and in Durban (Singh et al., 2004). The Allied Health Professions Council of South Africa (AHPCSA) is the regulatory body of CAM in South Africa. It currently regulates and registers 11 CAM professions, namely Homoeopathy, Chiropractic, Ayurveda, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Unani-Tibb, Osteopathy, Naturopathy, Phytotherapy, Therapeutic Aromatherapy, Therapeutic Massage and Therapeutic Reflexology. Most CAM products are freely available in various retail outlets. The aim of this study is to determine the attitudes and perceptions of Complementary and Alternative Medicine users in Johannesburg health shops. This will be evaluated by means of a questionnaire survey.