Determinants of Herbal Medication Utilization

The main purpose of the study is to know the determinants that predispose herbal medicine utilization among adults. This research is a quantitative non-experimental study utilizing the causal-comparative research design which aims to discover the possible cause and effects of a behavioral pattern, specifically, the use of herbal medications. Thirty respondents, which were composed of fifteen users and another fifteen non-users of herbal medicines, were taken from each of the four communities: Buhisan, Busay, Labangon and Mabolo which were selected beforehand. The respondents were interviewed by the researchers using a four - page researcher made survey questionnaire containing structured type of questions with multiple choice inquiries. The data gathered were subjected to Discriminant Analysis treatment which is a technique for classifying a set of observations into predefined classes. It is used to determine which variables discriminate between two or more naturally occurring groups. Results showed that the determinant which has the highest influence on whether one will use herbal medications is cultural values and lifeways, followed by kinship and social factors, then by educational factors. The factors that least determine an individual’s herbal medication utilization are economic factors, followed by political and legal factors, then by religious and philosophical factors.

 

Keywords - Ethnobotany, herbal medication, descriptive design, Philippines.