title: The use of conventional and complementary therapies for insomnia among Hong Kong Chinese: a telephone survey.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the prevalence and utilization pattern of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) for insomnia in Hong Kong.
  
  
  METHODS
  Respondents were selected from the general population and interviewed by telephone Their sleep was assessed by a Chinese version of the Brief Insomnia Questionnaire (BIQ) and CAM use by a checklist. Prevalence findings were weighted by the BIQ insomnia diagnosis, age, and sex.
  
  
  RESULTS
  402 respondents completed the survey. The population-weighted prevalence of any treatment in the past 12 months was 21.3%, any CAM use at 12.3%, any conventional treatment at 6.5%, and alcohol use at 1.6%; however, 46.6% of the BIQ insomnia cases did not seek treatment. The most commonly used CAM modalities was Chinese herbal medicine (7.9%), followed by acupuncture (1.7%) and Western herbal products (1.7%). Most CAM therapies were used infrequently and without consultation of healthcare professionals. Only BIQ insomnia diagnosis and being female were found predictive of CAM use.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Apart from Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture, the use of conventional treatments, CAM, and alcohol for trouble sleeping was all less common in Hong Kong. Public education on the consequences of insomnia and various treatment modalities is needed.
authors.affiliation: School of Chinese Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
authors.forename: Wing-Fai
authors.initials: WF
authors.lastname: Yeung
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China. Electronic address: kfchung@hkucc.hku.hk.
authors.forename: Ka-Fai
authors.initials: KF
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
authors.forename: Kam-Ping
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Yung
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
authors.forename: Fiona Yan-Yee
authors.initials: FY
authors.lastname: Ho
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
authors.forename: Lai-Ming
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Ho
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
authors.forename: Yee-Man
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
authors.forename: Chi-Wa
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Kwok
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000529:Complementary Therapies / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006723:Hong Kong; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007319:Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders / Q000628:therapy*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Alternative; CAM; Chinese; Complementary; Conventional medicine; Insomnia; Prevalence; Sleep