Acceptance of Complementary Medicine in Germany

Acceptance of Complementary Medicine in Germany - an Anonymous Representative Cross-sectional Study Including a Qualitative Survey

Complementary medicine is widely practiced in Germany and worldwide. The aim of this study is to explore how many people use complementary medicine methods in Germany, for which health-related issues they do and for which they would not.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: General Population
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Cross-sectional survey

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 4505

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Germany
  • Bamberg, Germany, 96047
    • Otto-Friedrich-University Bamberg
  • Berlin, Germany, 14163
    • Charité Hochschulambulanz für Naturheilkunde, Immanuel Krankenhaus Berlin

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 110 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

• Sampling Method: Probability Sample

Study Population

Respondents are recruited from Respondi institute's pool of test persons, but remain completely anonymous with regard to their personal data and answers; they are also not subsequently or indirectly identifiable.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Informed consent
• Age at least 18 years
• Sufficient language skills as well as cognitive ability to participate in an online survey or interview lasting approximately 30 minutes
• Active consent to the online consent form

Exclusion Criteria:

- Lack of consent to participate in the study

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Observational Models: Other
• Time Perspectives: Cross-Sectional

Number of groups / cohorts

1

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort	Intervention / Treatment
Online survey with 3.000 participants using mobile website technology	Other: Cross-sectional survey; No intervention.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Assessment of attitudes towards complementary medicine	Assessed retrospectively with self-designed questions	Up to 24 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Sociodemographic Parameters	Assessed retrospectively with self-designed questions	Up to 24 weeks
Assessment of own application of complementary medicine	Assessed retrospectively with self-designed questions	Up to 24 weeks
Assessment of attitudinal and behavioral questions (e.g. lifestyle)	Assessed retrospectively with self-designed questions	Up to 24 weeks
Assessment of use of complementary medicine in the Covid-19 pandemic	Assessed retrospectively with self-designed questions	Up to 24 weeks
Assessment of knowledge of complementary medicine	Assessed retrospectively with self-designed questions	Up to 24 weeks
Assessment of medical history and quality of life by EQ-5D-5L	Assessed retrospectively with self-designed questions	Up to 24 weeks

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Qualitative interviews of experts	Conducted after completion of the questionnaire (once), up to 24 weeks
Qualitative interviews of participants	Conducted after completion of the questionnaire (once), up to 24 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Charite University, Berlin, Germany
• Collaborators: Otto-Friedrich-University Bamberg, Chair of Sociology, Prof. Dr. Rasmus Hoffmann

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): September 19, 2022
• Primary Completion (Actual): October 17, 2022
• Study Completion (Actual): October 17, 2022

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: August 26, 2022
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 2, 2022
• First Posted (Actual): September 7, 2022

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimated): February 7, 2024
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 6, 2024
• Last Verified: February 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: Complementary Medicine Survey

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No