{'fraction_non_alphanumeric': 0.039183222958057394, 'fraction_numerical': 0.024282560706401765, 'mean_word_length': 5.023255813953488, 'pattern_counts': {'":': 0, '<': 0, '<?xml version=': 0, '>': 0, 'https://': 0, 'lorem ipsum': 0, 'www.': 0, 'xml': 0}, 'pii_count': 0, 'substrings_counts': 0, 'word_list_counts': {'cursed_substrings.json': 0, 'profanity_word_list.json': 0, 'sexual_word_list.json': 0, 'zh_pornsignals.json': 0}}
The use of Chinese herbal medicines and their correlates in Chinese older adults: the Singapore Chinese Longitudinal Aging Study.

BACKGROUND
There are very few studies of the use of Chinese herbal medicine and their psychosocial and health-related determinants in older adults.


OBJECTIVES
To determine the prevalence of use of Chinese herbal medicine in community-living Chinese older adults in Singapore and its associations with socio-economic status, social support, health behaviour, health and functional status.


DESIGN
Cross-sectional analyses of baseline data from a longitudinal cohort study of old adults (Singapore Chinese Longitudinal Aging Study).


SETTING
Community of Toa Payoh in Singapore (total population 22800 out of 3 million).


PARTICIPANTS
community residents comprising 2010 Chinese older adults aged 65 years and above.


MEASUREMENTS
participants completed a questionnaire on Chinese herbal medicine use and other information on psychosocial and health-related variables.


RESULTS
The use of Chinese herbal medicine over the past year was reported by 25.3% of the subjects, among whom 52% reported concurrent use of Western prescription medications. Significant factors that were strongly and independently associated with Chinese herbal medicine use were limited to extensive social support (OR = 2.66-5.56), current smoking (OR = 1.35), regular taiqi (OR = 1.94), arthritis (OR = 2.36), cancer (OR = 3.15), hypnotic use (OR = 2.08), IADL disability (OR = 1.72) and poor treatment compliance (OR = 2.35).


CONCLUSION
Positive and negative psychosocial and health-related factors determine the use of Chinese herbal medicine use in Chinese older adults, consistent with the dual-pattern use of Chinese herbal medicine as health supplement and complementary/alternative medicine.