02/12/2024
By Maureen Martin

The Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences, Solomont School of Nursing, invites you to attend a doctoral dissertation defense by Montri Khumrungsee on "Factors Associated with Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use Decisions among Thai Adults with T2DM."

Date: Monday, Feb. 26, 2024
Time: 3 to 5 p.m.
Location: This will be a virtual defense via Zoom. Those interested in attending should email Montri_Khumrungsee@student.uml.edu and committee chair Comfort_Enah@uml.edu at least 24 hours prior to the defense to request access to the meeting.

Committee:

  • Chair Comfort Enah, Ph.D., RN, FAAN. Donna Manning Endowed Chair and Associate Professor, Solomont School of Nursing, Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Lowell
  • Ramraj Gautam, Ph.D., Associate Teaching Professor, Solomont School of Nursing, Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Lowell
  • Jason Rydberg, Ph.D., Associate Professor, School of Criminology and Justice Studies, University of Massachusetts Lowell

Abstract:

Aims: To examine predisposing, enabling, and need for care factors that predict CAM use decisions based on the CAM Healthcare Model as a conceptual framework. A secondary aim is to examine the association between CAM use and glycemic control in Thai adults with T2DM.

Design: A cross-sectional study.

Methods: A convenience sampling of 475 Thai adults with T2DM who used outpatient diabetes clinics at secondary hospitals in the northern region of Thailand participated in the study. A sociodemographic and health status questionnaire, the MSU CAM Health Literacy Scale, the Diabetes Management Self-Efficacy Scale, and the CAM Questionnaire for Young Adults were used to collect data. Data collection lasted from March 2023 to May 2023. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression analysis were used to analyze these data.

Results: Nearly 30% of Thai adults with T2DM study participants used CAM. The most common types of CAM used were herbal medicines/products (76%), followed by dietary supplements and vitamins (28%). Social media, television, radio, and advertisements (49.6%) were the primary sources of CAM information, followed by friends, relatives, and neighbors (41.6%), and family members (28%). Univariate logistic regression analysis showed that CAM use decisions were significantly associated with low CAM health literacy (OR: 1.68; 95%CI: 1.08-2.59; p = 0.02) and a positive attitude toward CAM (OR: 1.93; 95%CI: 1.26-2.96; p = 0.002). A multivariate logistic regression analysis showed a positive attitude toward CAM (OR: 1.89; 95%CI: 1.20-2.96; p = 0.006) predicted CAM use decisions. CAM use was not associated with glycemic control.

Conclusion: Study findings indicate unique characteristics of CAM use decisions in Thai adults with T2DM. CAM health literacy and positive attitudes toward CAM drive CAM use decisions.
Impacts: Study findings could assist nurses and healthcare professionals in enhancing their understanding of the predisposing, enabling, need for care characteristics of CAM use decisions and offer helpful new information for health policymakers, nurses, and healthcare professionals to make regulations and policies on CAM, design nursing educational programs/curriculums, and create CAM guidelines with evidence-based support to promote safe CAM use.

Keywords: type 2 diabetes mellitus, adults, CAM Healthcare Model, health literacy, self-efficacy, attitudes toward CAM use, nursing practice