Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Consumers’ Experience With Food Therapy in Traditional Chinese Medicine in Hong Kong

Context • The trend of people using complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has been increasing globally. To enact policies and regulations that promote the safe use of CAM, a detailed investigation is needed into people’s knowledge, practices, and beliefs related to CAM. Food therapy has long been regarded as an important part of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), a type of CAM. Objective • This study intended to empirically examine the public’s knowledge about TCM food therapy, including the sources of that knowledge, actual practices, and the public’s beliefs about the therapy. Design • The research team designed a questionnaire to test the public’s understanding of food properties as designated in TCM food therapy and to identify the public’s sources of knowledge and experience in using food therapy. Setting • The study took place at the College of Professional and Continuing Education, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, and the University of Hong Kong in Hong Kong, China. Participants • Participants were 447 Chinese students participating in postsecondary or tertiary education at the two higher education institutions mentioned above. Outcome Measures • The survey’s quantitative questions examined respondents’ prior TCM knowledge, sources of knowledge, and food therapy experience compared to their ability to correctly categorize 24 foods. The survey’s qualitative questions examined the general practice of food therapy and the cultural beliefs underlying the food therapy strategies that participants used. Results • The study showed that: (1) having prior and partial knowledge of food properties (P = .000); (2) seeking information from the internet (P = .000), television (P = .0473) and friends (P = .0181); and (3) having used food therapy for chronic conditions (P= .0034) significantly improved participants ability to correctly categorize foods as to their food therapy characteristics. Conclusions • Participants relied less on traditional medical sources such as parents and health professionals but more on the internet, which may have empowered them through wider access to information. The study has further contributed to the study of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) by highlighting the role of cultural practices and beliefs in TCM food therapy.