Determining the attitudes towards traditional complementary and alternative therapy of individuals applying to Cancer Early Screening and Training Centers

In this study, it was aimed to determine the individuals' attitudes towards tradational and complementary medicine (TCAM). The cross-sectional study was conducted with 261 people who applied to Cancer Early Diagnosis, Screening and Education Center between June-September 2019. Personal Information Questionnaire and Holistic Complementary and Alternative Medicine Questionnaire (HCAMQ) were used as data collection tools in the research. The necessary institutional permissions, ethics committee approval and informed consent form from the participants were obtained in order to conduct the study. The aim of the study was explained to the individuals, the informed consent form was signed and the application was started. In the analysis of the data, independent groups t test, ANOVA analysis of variance, Kruskall Wallis H test, Mann Whitney U test, Post Hoc Tests (Tamhane's2 Post Hoc Test) and Chi-Square Analysis were used together with number, percentage, mean and standard deviation. 88.9% of the individuals participating in the study were women. 44.8% of them were between the ages of 29-39, 74.3% were married and 41.8% were university graduates. It was determined that 57.9% of these individuals did not work, 84.3% had health insurance, 24.5% were diagnosed with chronic disease and 36% had used one of TCAM methods before. As a result of the study, it was revealed that the individuals got an average of 34.71 ± 4.089 points from HCAMQ and their attitude scores towards complementary and alternative medicine were slightly above the average level. In the final analysis, it was determined that the difference between the demographic characteristics of the individuals participating in the study and their views and practices regarding TCAM use and mean HCMAQ score was not statistically significant (p> 0.05). Based on these data, individuals have a positive attitude towards TCAM methods and also they are not affected by socio-demographic characteristics. For the increasing use of TCAM; It may be suggested that individuals should be educated about the appropriate TCAM method to decide together with healthcare professionals. Keywords: Alternative medicine, complementary medicine, attitude