title: Use of complementary and alternative medicine in pregnancy: a cross-sectional survey on Iraqi women.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Due to the lack of strong evidence on safety and efficacy of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) approaches, the use of CAM in women during pregnancy could be hazardous for mother and fetus. Meanwhile, little is known regarding the patterns, the reasons and the factors affecting use of CAM among pregnant women in Iraq.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross sectional survey design was used to carry out face-to-face interviews with 335 consecutive pregnant women. The questionnaire comprised of three sections: socio-demographic characteristics, pregnancy-related aspects and the patterns and attitudes towards use of CAM. Determinants of CAM use were assessed through the logistic regression analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Three hundred thirty-five pregnant women completed the questionnaire. 56.7 % reported using at least one form of CAM modalities. In total, 24 different types of CAM were used; with herbal medicine (53.7 %) and multivitamins (36.3 %) the most commonly used modalities. From the logistic regression analysis, the variables positively associated with CAM use were: rural residence (odds ratio (OR) 2.0, p < 0.01), no occupation (OR 2.7, p < 0.05), high income (OR 2.0, p < 0.05), perceived healthy status (OR 2.6, p < 0.05) and ever use of contraception (OR 2.0, p < 0.01). Only 0.5 % of CAM users disclosed their CAM use to physicians.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The proportion of CAM users among pregnant women is relatively high and it is important to learn what types of CAM they use. However, disclosure of CAM use was extraordinarily low. Given the low rate of disclosure, it should be ensured that physicians establish good level of communication with pregnant women and have adequate knowledge of CAM.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Hanyang College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.|Institute of Health Services Management, Hanyang University, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Jung Hye
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.affiliation: Institute of Health Services Management, Hanyang University, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Yu-Rim
authors.initials: YR
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Institute of Health Services Management, Hanyang University, Seoul, South Korea.|Department of Global Health and Development and Department of Preventive Medicine, Hanyang University, College of Medicine, 222 Wangsimni-ro, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, 04763, South Korea.
authors.forename: Mansoor
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ahmed
authors.affiliation: Institute of Health Services Management, Hanyang University, Seoul, South Korea.|Department of Global Health and Development and Department of Preventive Medicine, Hanyang University, College of Medicine, 222 Wangsimni-ro, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, 04763, South Korea.
authors.forename: Soojeung
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.affiliation: Basrah Health Directorate, Ministry of Health, Basrah, Iraq.
authors.forename: Nihad Qasim
authors.initials: NQ
authors.lastname: Al-Hammadi
authors.affiliation: Basrah Health Directorate, Ministry of Health, Basrah, Iraq.
authors.forename: Nameer Muhammad
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Widad
authors.affiliation: Institute of Health Services Management, Hanyang University, Seoul, South Korea. dwhan@hanyang.ac.kr.|Department of Global Health and Development and Department of Preventive Medicine, Hanyang University, College of Medicine, 222 Wangsimni-ro, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, 04763, South Korea. dwhan@hanyang.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Dongwoon
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0206-8976
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Han
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000529:Complementary Therapies / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007493:Iraq / Q000453:epidemiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011295:Prenatal Care; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Complementary and alternative medicine; Iraq; Pregnant women