title: Complementary and alternative medicine use in a pediatric neurology clinic.
abstract: To evaluate the frequency and determinants of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use in children attending a pediatric neurology clinic in North Jordan, a parent completed questionnaire survey of children attending the pediatric neurology clinic at King Abdullah University Hospital from March to July 2008 was conducted. A review of 176 completed questionnaires showed that 99 parents (56%) had used CAM for their child's specific neurological illness. The most common modalities were prayer/reciting the Quran (77%), religious healers (30%), massage with olive oil (32%), and consumption of honey products (29%). The most common reason was religious beliefs in 68%. None reported lack of trust in conventional medicine as the reason behind seeking CAM. Factors significantly associated with CAM use were speech delay, belief in its usefulness, father's age more than 30 years, and mothers with education less than high school. CAM had a supplementary role in relation to traditional western medicine use.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology, PO Box 3030, Irbid, Jordan. Electronic address: samahk72@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Samah K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Aburahma
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Medicine, Public Health and Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan. Electronic address: Yousef.k@excite.com.
authors.forename: Yousef S
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Khader
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan. Electronic address: khalzoubi@just.edu.jo.
authors.forename: Karem
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Alzoubi
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Pharmacy, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan.
authors.forename: Noor
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sawalha
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000554:Ambulatory Care Facilities; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002648:Child; D000529:Complementary Therapies / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D055048:Integrative Medicine; D007597:Jordan; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000628:therapy*; D009462:Neurology; D010290:Parents; D010372:Pediatrics; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires