Self-care and lifestyle interventions of complementary and integrative medicine during the COVID-19 pandemic-A cross-sectional study

Michael Jeitler; Avital Erehman; Daniela A Koppold; Miriam Ortiz; Lea Jerzynski; Barbara Stöckigt; Gabriele Rotter; Sarah Blakeslee; Benno Brinkhaus; Andreas Michalsen; Georg Seifert; Holger Cramer; Farid I Kandil; Christian S Kessler

doi:10.3389/fmed.2022.1033181

Self-care and lifestyle interventions of complementary and integrative medicine during the COVID-19 pandemic-A cross-sectional study

Front Med (Lausanne). 2023 Jan 9:9:1033181. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2022.1033181. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Michael Jeitler^{1

2}, Avital Erehman¹, Daniela A Koppold^{1

2}, Miriam Ortiz¹, Lea Jerzynski¹, Barbara Stöckigt¹, Gabriele Rotter¹, Sarah Blakeslee³, Benno Brinkhaus¹, Andreas Michalsen^{1

2}, Georg Seifert^{3

4}, Holger Cramer^{5

6

7

8}, Farid I Kandil^{1

3}, Christian S Kessler^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Institute of Social Medicine, Epidemiology and Health Economics, Berlin, Germany.
² Department of Internal and Integrative Medicine, Immanuel Krankenhaus Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
³ Department of Paediatric Oncology/Haematology, Otto-Heubner Centre for Paediatric and Adolescent Medicine (OHC), Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
⁴ Departamento de Pediatria, Faculdade de Medicina, Instituto de Tratamento do Câncer Infatil (ITACI), Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
⁵ Department of Internal and Integrative Medicine, Evang. Kliniken Essen-Mitte, Faculty of Medicine, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.
⁶ Institute for General Practice and Interprofessional Care, University Hospital Tuebingen, Tübingen, Germany.
⁷ Bosch Health Campus, Stuttgart, Germany.
⁸ National Centre for Naturopathic Medicine, Southern Cross University, Lismore, NSW, Australia.

Abstract

Background: Complementary and Integrative Medicine (CIM), including self-care healthy life-style promotion strategies, is widely used in Germany. Aim of this study was to assess the use of self-care and lifestyle interventions as well as mental/emotional state experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: An exploratory cross-sectional online study was conducted with adults in Germany through an online survey. Custom-developed questions in respiratory disease-status (including COVID-19), CIM-based self-care/lifestyle interventions and dietary patterns, and mental/emotional state as well as parameters for wellbeing (World Health Organization Well-Being Index, WHO-5) and self-efficacy (General Self-Efficacy Short Scale, GSE-3) were assessed. Data was analyzed using frequency and parametric measures.

Results: The online survey was performed from January to March 2021 and included 1,138 participants (81.5% female; mean age: 49.2 ± 13.7 years; 54.9% holding a university degree) living in Germany, of which 62 had had a positive SARS-CoV-2 test, 4 an influenza infection and 375 participants other respiratory infections. The following individual health promotion strategies were reported: spending time in nature (90%; n = 1,024), physical activity (69.3%; n = 789), naturopathic remedies (63.1%; n = 718), plant-based diet (56.3%; n = 640), and Mind-Body interventions (54.7%; n = 623). No differences in strategies between individuals with respiratory diseases or the sample overall were found. Well-being had a mean value of 15.2 ± 5 (WHO-5) and self-efficacy 4.1 ± 0.6 (GSE-3). Nearly 8% reported a low mental/emotional state regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.

Conclusion: Self-care and lifestyle interventions during the COVID-19 pandemic were reported by participants who were predominantly female, middle-aged, and well-educated. Most participants showed an overall balanced mental/emotional state. Further studies should include a representative control group from the general population.

Clinical trial registration: clinicaltrials.gov, identifier NCT04653727.

Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic; complementary medicine; infectious respiratory diseases; integrative medicine; lifestyle medicine; prevention; self-care.

Associated data

ClinicalTrials.gov/NCT04653727