title: Complementary and alternative medicine use: Results from a descriptive study of pregnant women in Udi local Government area of Enugu state, Nigeria.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The use of CAM by pregnant women is very popular in developed countries. The trend is increasing globally and lack of evidence of safety particularly when used during pregnancy may lead to complications. Pregnancy is a vulnerable period especially during the first trimester. There is scarcity of empirical evidence on CAM use particularly among women in Udi LGA of Enugu State and South East Nigeria. Moreover, studies carried out in Nigeria have been limited to herbal medicine use, which is one aspect of CAM. This study was designed to obtain information on the use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine among pregnant women.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was a cross sectional descriptive survey of 396 pregnant women systematically drawn from twenty political wards in Udi Local Government Area (LGA) of Enugu State. Interviewer administered questionnaire developed by the researchers was used for data collection. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Majority (82.1%) of the pregnant women in Udi LGA used CAM during pregnancy out of which 53.8% had used CAM in previous pregnancies. CAM used ranges from one single type to sixteen different types with biological products eg, herbal tea, herbal mixture being the most commonly used CAM. Whereas most (89.5%) of the CAM used by pregnant women was consumed orally, approximately half of the pregnant women used CAM together with conventional medicine.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The use of CAM by women during pregnancy was high in Udi LGA. Therefore, maternity care providers especially midwives need to elicit CAM commonly used by women during pregnancy and counsel them appropriately for best care and safety. Researchers should focus on establishing the efficacy of CAM products.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing Sciences, University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, Enugu, Nigeria. jane.onyiapat@unn.edu.ng.
authors.forename: Jane-Lovena
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Onyiapat
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing Sciences, University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, Enugu, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Chinyelu
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Okafor
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing Sciences, University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, Enugu, Nigeria.|Department of Health Administration & Management, University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, Enugu, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Ijeoma
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Okoronkwo
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing Sciences, University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, Enugu, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Agnes
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Anarado
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Pathology, College of Medicine, University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, Enugu, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Ekene
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Chukwukelu
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing Sciences, University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, Enugu, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Ada
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nwaneri
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing Sciences, University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, Enugu, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Pat
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Okpala
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000529:Complementary Therapies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009111:Local Government; D008875:Middle Aged; D009549:Nigeria; D011247:Pregnancy; D037841:Pregnant People / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Complementary and alternative medicine; Pregnant women; Use