Awareness, perceptions and attitudes towards complementary and alternative medicine in Saudi Arabia: A cross-sectional and comparative study of students of healthcare professions

Purpose: To investigate health professions student’s awareness, attitude, and perception towards the complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and also to determine the influence of socio- demographic variables on the descriptive outcomes of this study. Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional, comparative study was conducted among Undergraduate Health Professions Students (n=398) at King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences at Riyadh campus, through a validated questionnaire. Results: The results of the study revealed that among various modalities of CAM, most students were aware and used prayers/spirituality, followed by nutritional supplements, cupping, massage, herbal medicine and yoga. The least effective modality was aromatherapy, whereas the most harmful modality was acupuncture. The data showed that the students obtained more information from friends/relatives and media and less from formal CAM training/courses. Awareness/self-use and beliefs/attitudes were found to have significant associations (p < 0.05) in regard to gender, parent’s educational level, and family income. Conclusion: The study shows that most of the healthcare students are aware of and demonstrate positive attitudes towards the effectiveness and safety of most CAM modalities. However, the lack of formal training or courses is a major barrier towards its use and practice