CAM use during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Population Based International Cross-sectional Survey

ABSTRACT

Introduction: This study was initiated to determine consultations with health care providers and use of self-management strategies such as herbal remedies, dietary supplements and self-help techniques for prevention and treatment of COVID-19 related symptoms in countries with a full lockdown (Norway), a partial lockdown (the Netherlands) and no lockdown (Sweden) during the first three months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Data were collected in April-June 2020 during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. An adapted version of the I-CAM-Q was used in which the categories 'for prevention of COVID-19′ and 'to treat COVID-19-related symptoms were added as reasons for use. Data were collected among a representative sample using data assisted telephone interviews (Norway, n=990 and Sweden, n=500), and an online survey (the Netherlands, n=1004). Total response rate was 30%. Results: Only a very small number of people in any of the three countries consulted a health care provider with the intention to treat or prevent COVID-19 (1.2% and 1.0% respectively) with medical doctors mostly visited (1.0% and 0.9%). Similarly, the use of self-management strategies to prevent or treat COVID-19 was low (3.4% and 0.2% respectively);most commonly used were vitamins and minerals (2.8%) for prevention of COVID-19, primarily vitamin C (1.7%), vitamin D (0.9%), and multivitamins (0.5%). Consultations with health care providers and use of self-management strategies for prevention of COVID-19 were positively associated with worries of being infected with COVID-19. No such associations were found for worries about loved ones or the perception that COVID-19 is more dangerous than ordinary influenza. Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic does not seem to have evoked a large-scale difference in behaviour related to consultations with health care providers or the use of self-management strategies such as dietary supplements and self-help techniques in any of the three countries, despite different containment and mitigation measures. Keywords COVID-19;Consultations with health care providers;Self-management