Saturday, September 28, 2002

This presentation is part of : Health Promotion in At-Risk Older Adults

Are Herbal Products and Home Remedies Beneficial for Health Promotion in Older Women?

Saunjoo L. Yoon, RN, PhD, assistant professor, College of Nursing, College of Nursing, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA

Objective: The use of multiple conventional drugs among older adults is a serious issue in the United States. Older women in the community frequently use non-prescription medications and home remedies as a part of self-care and health promotion. Home remedies and herbal products are thought to be natural and safe to use without adverse effects by many people. These products are not controlled by the Food and Drug Administration and can be easily obtained in many stores. The purposes of the research were to examine the use of herbal products and home remedies for health promotion or illness prevention among community-dwelling older women over time. We will discuss the potential benefits and risks of using herbal products for health promotion in older women. Design: Descriptive design with an 18-month follow-up interview. Sample: Community-dwelling older women - Sample was selected from 8,344 women aged 65 years and over who live independently in a North Central Florida County. Questionnaires were completed on 86 subjects from 402 randomly selected potential participants for the first interview and 70 subjects of the original 86 (81.4%) participated in the 18-month follow-up. Setting: North Central Florida County community Names of Variables or Concept: Differences in demographic characteristics, and health status, were compared between the herbal product users and non-users. Change in use of herbal products was compared between the first interview and the 18-month follow-up. Measures/Instruments: The interview questionnaire was comprised of three parts including health status and use of conventional medicines, use of herbal products, and demographic data for the first interview. A modified version of the original questionnaire was used at the 18-month follow-up to examine changes in the use of herbal products. Findings: Herbal products were used consistently by community-dwelling older women, 45.3% (39/86) for the first interview and 42.9% (30/70) for the follow-up. Ginger, Garlic, Glucosamine, Gingko, and Aloe were the five most popular supplements among participants. The average number of medications used including both prescribed and non-prescribed medicines was seven (7). Herbal product users were more concerned about potential memory problems than non-users. Main reasons for using herbal products were to prevent upcoming health problems. Information about herbal products was obtained mainly through media such as magazines, books, and newsletters. Many of the products subjects were consuming were not reported to the health care providers. Also, health care providers did not ask the subjects about their use of herbal products or home remedies. Conclusions: Prevalence of using herbal products was consistent among older women although there were changes within groups. Many older women in this group were practicing self-prescribing herbals to promote health or prevent health problems. However, most of participants did not share the information of self-care practice for own health promotion with their health care providers. Another issue is that doses and types of dietary supplements used vary greatly among research participants. Possible drug and herbal interactions are mainly unknown with very few exceptions. On the other hand, proper use of herbal products may be beneficial by decreasing common side effects of many conventional drugs. Individual choice of self-care practice such as using herbal products may give older women an empowerment, which is important for health promotion. Implications: The results of this study reaffirm the thought that older women have the propensity to manage their own health care through self-care measures, particularly the use of highly marketed complimentary alternative measures such as the use of herbal products. This puts older women at risk for drug interactions and complications. It is crucial to provide more education for older adults about the benefits and risks of using herbal products. The health care providers should also pay more attention to and be knowledgeable of herbal products in order to provide comprehensive health care to older women. We as health care providers should encourage our clients to communicate with us about their own health care practices.

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