Objective

The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in the United States has rapidly gained popularity in the last half century. Herbs and dietary supplements are among the most widely used form of CAM. Females used CAM more frequently and were more likely to self-administer CAM therapies and products. However, the pattern of herbal medicine use among pregnant women from a national perspective remains unclear. Moreover, as many as 25% of the users do not disclose the use of herbs and supplements to their physicians. The high prevalent use and low disclosure rate could become a potential risk for pregnant women and fetuses. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence and trend of herb and supplement use among US pregnant women over a 10-year period.

Study Design

Conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics, the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) is a publicly available annual health survey that includes supplementary questionnaires to collect data regarding CAM use in 2002, 2007, and 2012. Our study used the 3-wave surveys to investigate herb and supplement use among pregnant women of reproductive age.

Female respondents who answered yes to the self-reported questionnaire, “Are you currently pregnant?” and were between the ages of 18 to 40 years became our study population. For the dependent variable, respondents were asked, “During the past 12 months, have you taken any herbal or other nonvitamin supplements listed on this card for yourself?” Respondents who answered yes to the question were then asked to choose specific herbs and supplements.

The survey sample was weighted to obtain national estimates by using the PROC SURVEY procedure (SAS, v. 9.4; SAS Institute, Cary, NC). The Wald χ ² test was used to examine the difference of herb and supplement use between pregnant and nonpregnant women of reproductive age. The NHIS is a deidentified, publically available data set and the study did not require institutional review board review.

Study Design

Conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics, the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) is a publicly available annual health survey that includes supplementary questionnaires to collect data regarding CAM use in 2002, 2007, and 2012. Our study used the 3-wave surveys to investigate herb and supplement use among pregnant women of reproductive age.

Female respondents who answered yes to the self-reported questionnaire, “Are you currently pregnant?” and were between the ages of 18 to 40 years became our study population. For the dependent variable, respondents were asked, “During the past 12 months, have you taken any herbal or other nonvitamin supplements listed on this card for yourself?” Respondents who answered yes to the question were then asked to choose specific herbs and supplements.

The survey sample was weighted to obtain national estimates by using the PROC SURVEY procedure (SAS, v. 9.4; SAS Institute, Cary, NC). The Wald χ ² test was used to examine the difference of herb and supplement use between pregnant and nonpregnant women of reproductive age. The NHIS is a deidentified, publically available data set and the study did not require institutional review board review.