The influence of complementary therapies on maternal health has attracted the attention of policy makers, health professionals and researchers globally especially in developing countries. However, there is lack of evidence on whether Sierra Leonean women use herbal medicine during pregnancy which limit the chance of providing better maternity care.
This study was conducted to determine the prevalence and pattern of herbal medicines use among pregnant women attending an antenatal clinic at a tertiary maternal hospital in Sierra Leone.
A cross-sectional study was conducted among pregnant women (n=134) who were at least 18 years of age and who have had at least one previous pregnancy, using face to face interview. Descriptive statistics, univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used for data analysis.
The response rate was 82.7%. Nearly two-thirds of pregnant women reported using herbal medicine (62.7%). Herbal medicine users were more likely to be Muslim than Christian. Luffa acutangula (L.) Roxb was the most cited herbal medicine used and was mostly indicated for urinary tract infection and pedal oedema. Perceived effectiveness and safety over conventional medicine (70.2%) was key driver for use, and majority did not disclose their use of herbs to their maternal health professional (95.2%).
Herbal medicine use among pregnant women in this study was widespread. Maternal health providers should be aware of this relatively common practice and routinely discuss and educate pregnant women on the potential risks and benefits associated with the use of herbs.
Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutical Science
9
5%
Arts and Humanities
3
2%
Environmental Science
3
2%
Other
14
8%
Unknown
80
48%
Attention Score in Context
Attention Score in Context
This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 9. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 03 March 2019.
All research outputs
#5,733,333
of 34,039,688 outputs
Outputs from Women & Birth
#444
of 1,444 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#86,097
of 491,841 outputs
Outputs of similar age from Women & Birth
#14
of 35 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 34,039,688 research outputs across all sources so far. Compared to these this one has done well and is in the 83rd percentile: it's in the top 25% of all research outputs ever tracked by Altmetric.
So far Altmetric has tracked 1,444 research outputs from this source. They typically receive a lot more attention than average, with a mean Attention Score of 12.5. This one has gotten more attention than average, scoring higher than 69% of its peers.
Older research outputs will score higher simply because they've had more time to accumulate mentions. To account for age we can compare this Altmetric Attention Score to the 491,841 tracked outputs that were published within six weeks on either side of this one in any source. This one has done well, scoring higher than 82% of its contemporaries.
We're also able to compare this research output to 35 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one has gotten more attention than average, scoring higher than 60% of its contemporaries.
