(P-559) Trends and Patterns in Traditional Chinese Medicine Use Among Chinese Population in Late Adulthood: An Eight-year Repeated Panel Survey

Background: Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), originated from China, is different from Western medicine in theory and practice.

Objectives: To document the patterns and the longitudinal trends in the prescription prevalence of TCM among the middle-aged and elder population in China during 2011-2018.

Methods: This study used a nationally representative longitudinal survey data (first survey in 2011, second survey in 2013, third survey in 2015, and fourth survey in 2018) from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). Individuals aged under 45 years were excluded. The questions in the questionnaire used to identify the TCM users were: (1) Are you now taking any of the following treatments to treat your chronic disease or its complications? (2) What kind of treatment did you receive in your recent visit to a health care provider in last month? (3) What kind of treatment did you receive during the hospitalization in last year? (4) How did you treat yourself during last month? Only the first question existed in the fourth survey. The prevalence of TCM use for any purpose among the overall population, the prevalence of using TCM to treat chronic diseases among those with chronic diseases, and the prevalence of TCM use for non-chronic conditions among the overall population were calculated.

Results: In the four panel analyses, 16 904, 17 780, 19 658 and 17 819 participants were included, respectively. The prevalence of TCM use for any purpose among the overall population experienced upward trend from 19.03% (95% CI 18.37% to 19.69%) in 2011 to 23.91% (95% CI 23.23% to 24.60%) in 2015, and the prevalence of TCM use was higher in females than males. The prevalence of TCM use for non-chronic conditions among the overall population rose from 3.65% (95% CI 3.37% to 3.95%) in 2011 to 7.21% (95% CI 6.84% to 7.59%) in 2015. During the eight-year period, the prevalence of TCM use among the patients with chronic diseases stabilized during the same period, with prevalence fluctuating from 23.20% (95% CI 22.32% to 24.10%) in 2011 to 25.21% (95% CI 24.27% to 26.19%) in 2018. The patients with stroke and chronic heart diseases were the most frequent users of TCM to treat their conditions.

Conclusions: The increasing prevalence of TCM use for any purpose among the overall population reflects the increasing influence and potentials of TCM with year. With the expected rising demand in TCM for the following decades in China, more clinical trials on safety and healthcare policy regarding TCM are merited in the future.