The mediating effect of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) health literacy between TCM culture promotion and residents&apos; health status

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Abstract

Background

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is a medical system with a long history and unique theories and techniques, playing a crucial role in maintaining and promoting human health. Disseminating TCM cultural knowledge is essential for enhancing the TCM health literacy and health status of people. This study aimed to investigate how TCM health literacy mediated the relationship between the TCM cultural ambiance and people's health status.

Methods

A multi-stage random sampling method was employed to select 22,125 permanent residents in Jiangsu Province for a survey aimed at examining the popularization of TCM culture. The survey categorized the intensity of TCM cultural ambiance into four grades (0–3) based on the promotion activities in various settings, including street/community, medical service institutions, and educational/work institutions. Furthermore, the survey evaluated TCM health literacy, overall health status, and prevalence of chronic diseases using the 2017 Chinese Citizens TCM Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire. The regression analysis was used to examine the correlation between the TCM cultural ambiance and TCM health literacy and health status. Also, a mediation model was applied to explore the mediating effect of TCM health literacy on the TCM cultural ambiance and the public's self-assessment of health and reporting of chronic diseases.

Results

The rate of popularization of TCM culture was 79.3% in Jiangsu Province, with a TCM health literacy level of 14.76%. The average score for public self-assessment of health was 37.80 ± 9.70, and the prevalence of chronic diseases was reported at 32.66%. A positive correlation was observed between cultural promotion ambiance and TCM health literacy. The impact of the cultural promotion ambiance on health literacy also increased with the increase in promotion grade ( P < 0.001). The correlation analysis showed no statistically significant correlation of promotion grade 1 [β = 0.21, 95% confidence interval (CI): −0.26 to 0.67] with the health status of residents, whereas promotion grades 2 (β = 1.47, 95% CI: 1.12–1.83) and 3 (β = 4.61, 95% CI: 4.19–5.04) were positively correlated with self-health evaluation. TCM health literacy was positively correlated with self-health evaluation (β = 2.10, 95% CI: 1.72–2.48) and negatively correlated with the risk of chronic diseases (odds ratio = 0.53, 95% CI: 0.48–0.58). The analysis of the mediating effect revealed that the TCM cultural ambiance directly impacted self-health evaluation and the prevalence of chronic diseases, with coefficients of 1.131 and −0.027 ( P < 0.001), respectively. TCM health literacy had a significant mediating effect on the relationship between the cultural promotion ambiance and self-health evaluation, as well as with the prevalence of chronic diseases ( P < 0.001). The mediating effect accounted for 17.8% and 42.2% of the total effect, respectively.

Conclusions

TCM health literacy served as a mediating factor in the positive relationship between the TCM cultural ambiance and health status. Theoretically, it can improve the overall health of residents by intensifying the dissemination of TCM culture and enhancing their health literacy.

Related collections

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Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has more than 2,000 years of history and has gained widespread clinical applications. However, the explicit role of TCM in preventing and treating cardiovascular disease remains unclear due to a lack of sound scientific evidence. Currently available randomized controlled trials on TCM are flawed, with small sample sizes and diverse outcomes, making it difficult to draw definite conclusions about the actual benefits and harms of TCM. Here, we systematically assessed the efficacy and safety of TCM for cardiovascular disease, as well as the pharmacological effects of active TCM ingredients on the cardiovascular system and potential mechanisms. Results indicate that TCM might be used as a complementary and alternative approach to the primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease. However, further rigorously designed randomized controlled trials are warranted to assess the effect of TCM on long-term hard endpoints in patients with cardiovascular disease.

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Is Open Access

Cellular senescence and cancer: Focusing on traditional Chinese medicine and natural products

Yiman Liu, Shenshen Yang, Kailong Wang … (2020)

Abstract Cancer is the principal cause of death and a dominant public health problem which seriously threatening human life. Among various ways to treat cancer, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and natural products have outstanding anti‐cancer effects with their unique advantages of high efficiency and minimal side effects. Cell senescence is a physiological process of cell growth stagnation triggered by stress, which is an important line of defence against tumour development. In recent years, active ingredients of TCM and natural products, as an interesting research hotspot, can induce cell senescence to suppress the occurrence and development of tumours, by inhibiting telomerase activity, triggering DNA damage, inducing SASP, and activating or inactivating oncogenes. In this paper, the recent research progress on the main compounds derived from TCM and natural products that play anti‐cancer roles by inducing cell senescence is systematically reviewed, aiming to provide a reference for the clinical treatment of pro‐senescent cancer.

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Author and article information

Contributors

Xiaofan Zhang: Role: Role: Role: Role: Role:

Xiang Hong: URI : http://loop.frontiersin.org/people/938022/overviewRole: Role: Role:

Zongming Zhang: Role: Role: Role: Role:

Journal

Journal ID (nlm-ta): Front Public Health

Journal ID (iso-abbrev): Front Public Health

Journal ID (publisher-id): Front. Public Health

Title: Frontiers in Public Health

Publisher: Frontiers Media S.A.

ISSN (Electronic): 2296-2565

Publication date (Electronic): 01 August 2024

Publication date Collection: 2024

Volume: 12

Electronic Location Identifier: 1386085

Affiliations

[1] ¹Institute of Literature in Chinese Medicine, Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine , Nanjing, China

[2] ²Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Southeast University , Nanjing, China

Author notes

Edited by: Luca Rastrelli, University of Salerno, Italy

Reviewed by: Daniel Joseph Berdida, University of Santo Tomas, Philippines

Yan-Jhu Su, University of Massachusetts Boston, United States

*Correspondence: Zongming Zhang zhangzongming23@ 123456163.com

Article

DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1386085

PMC ID: 11328151

PubMed ID: 39157527

SO-VID: 1c5ed5fe-a13c-4754-9216-420a7c48fa02

License:

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

History

Date received : 14 February 2024

Date accepted : 17 July 2024

Page count

Figures: 2, Tables: 5, Equations: 0, References: 41, Pages: 8, Words: 6137

Funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This study was supported by the Major Program of National Social Science Fund of China: Systematic Research on International Dissemination and Global Identification of Chinese Medicine Culture (No. 18ZDA322).

Custom metadata

section-at-acceptance Public Health Education and Promotion

Keywords: health status,mediating effect,traditional chinese medicine culture propaganda,traditional chinese medicine health literacy,chinese medicine

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Keywords: health status, mediating effect, traditional chinese medicine culture propaganda, traditional chinese medicine health literacy, chinese medicine

The mediating effect of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) health literacy between TCM culture promotion and residents' health status

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